(ANSA) - ROME - ''Icons dating from the 17th to 21st centuries from Minsk National Art Museum'', it is the title of the exhibition that will be on display at the Vatican Museums from May 19 until July 25. The exhibition, dedicated to the Jubilee of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis and set up during the Belarusian Year of Culture, features 33 Catholic and Orthodox.icons. The exhibition is an opportunity to make the public aware of some unique pieces of Belarusian Liturgy, and is ''an expression of people's devotion'', said cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, but also a message ''which is symbol of the peaceful coexistence of Catholics and Orthodox'', underlined the Head of the Byzantine Department of Minsk National Museum, Sysoeva Lubov, who selected the artworks. Among the most important works, the miraculous icon of Virgin Mary from Zhirovchi and the Borun icon, venerated by Catholics as well as by Orthodox faithful, along with the icons from the Obrovo church.

The exhibition will be visited tomorrow by President Aleksander Lukashenko, arriving today in the Italian capital, where he will meet with President Sergio Mattarella and Pope Francis. (ANSA).