Zvolensky to Pope Francis: Peter Has Walked on Slovak Soil

Sastin, September 15 (TASR) – Peter has walked on Slovak soil, visiting the capital Bratislava, Kosice and Presov and making true our dream to meet him in Sastin (Trnava region), said Archbishop of Bratislava Stanislav Zvolensky in his address to Pope Francis towards the end of the Mass in Sastin on Wednesday.

The pontiff officiated at the central Mass of the annual pilgrimage to Sastin, a small town boasting a Baroque basilica devoted to Our Lady of Sorrows, the patron saint of the country.

The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (September 15) is a public holiday in Slovakia.
Zvolensky thanked the pope for reminding everyone in Slovakia to be attentive to the poor and people in need.

“Thank you for strengthening the relationship between Catholics of the Roman and Greek rites, reminding us that we’re sons and daughters of one Catholic Church,” said the Roman Catholic archbishop, partly in reference to the elaborate Byzantine Divine Liturgy at which the pope officiated in the eastern city of Presov on Tuesday.

In addition, Zvolensky said that he was grateful to Francis for meeting representatives of the Jewish religious community and representatives of other Christian denominations, who, he said, strive to look for full unity.

Having wrapped up his official programme in Slovakia, the pope is due to leave for Rome from Bratislava Airport in the afternoon.