New Ordinary of Slovak Armed Forces Pavol Sajgalik Receives Episcopal Ordination
Bratislava, 18 October (TASR) - New Ordinary of the Slovak Armed Forces Pavol Sajgalik received episcopal ordination in Bratislava on Saturday, with his predecessor, Frantisek Rabek, being the main consecrator.
The co-consecrators were Chair of the Slovak Bishops Conference (KBS) and Archbishop of Kosice Bernard Bober, and Archbishop of Bratislava Stanislav Zvolensky. He was appointed to the post at the end of May this year by Pope Leo XIV.
Sajgalik was ordained a priest on 15 August 1993. From that year until 2005 he held several offices in the Slovak Province of the Friars Minor of the Capuchins. In 2004, he joined the Ordinariate of the Slovak Armed Forces, where he served as a police chaplain in Bratislava. From 2006 to 2019 he was a member of the Priests' Council. He also achieved a doctorate in pastoral theology from the University of Vienna. Sajgalik also served as a hospital chaplain at St. Michael's Hospital in Bratislava.
New Ordinary of the Slovak Armed Forces Pavol Sajgalik has all the prerequisites to master his mission and continue the work started by his predecessor Frantisek Rabek, which is confirmed by his professional and moral qualities as well as his personal story, President Peter Pellegrini said in his speech at the episcopal consecration of the bishop in Bratislava on Saturday.
"The mission of the Armed Forces is to protect peace, law and order. The mission of the Church is - among other things - to strive for reconciliation among the people. The importance of this mission is much more urgent today than it was in the recent past. It can only be fulfilled with devotion and love in the heart. With love for one's country, for the people who live here," said the head of state, wishing him strength, endurance and success. He added that the message of hope, faith, tolerance, mutual understanding and solidarity is also important for the entire Slovak society.
The president also recalled the predecessor of the second bishop of the Ordinariate, Rabek, who, according to him, built the service practically from scratch during his 22 years of work. Above all, Pellegrini said, Rabek confirmed the importance of the ministry for the men and women in the Armed Forces. How important it is for them to have someone to talk to about their feelings, to be able to confide in, but also to draw spiritual strength. He pointed out their conditions, the burden, the risk, the constant readiness to intervene and also the enormous responsibility.
