The Holy Father got off the plane of the Italian company Alitalia after half past three in the afternoon. In addition to Čaputová, several dozen church and political representatives of the country were waiting for him at the airport, waving Slovak and Vatican flags and welcoming the pope with a Latin call Vivat Papa Franciscus (long live Pope Francis).
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After a short welcome, which included a boy and a girl in traditional Slovak costume, who received a small gift from the Holy Father, Pope Francis went in a limousine to an ecumenical meeting at the Apostolic Nunciature in Bratislava.
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Believers are waiting on September 12, 2021 at Bratislava Airport before the planned arrival of Pope Francis to visit Slovakia.
Photo: Roman Vondrouš, ČTK
Church dignitaries are waiting on September 12, 2021 at Bratislava Airport before the planned arrival of Pope Francis to visit Slovakia.
Photo: Roman Vondrouš, ČTK
Another official program awaits him from Monday. They will gradually visit Bratislava, Prešov, Košice and Šaštín near the borders with the Czech Republic. 600 journalists from all over the world were accredited for the visit.
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Pope Francis will live at the Apostolic Nunciature in Bratislava and has no special request for the furnishing of a room. “Apart from the requirement for simplicity and modesty,” said Martin Kramara, spokesman for the Conference of Bishops of Slovakia (KBS).
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He stopped in Budapest
The pope flew from Budapest, where he attended the closing mass of the Eucharistic Congress in Heroes’ Square. He also briefly met with Hungarian President János Áder and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. He then greeted the believers from the papamobile.
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The pope’s decision to spend more time in Slovakia than in Hungary needs to be understood in the context of his harsh criticism of nationalist-populist leaders, such as the Hungarian prime minister.
The Tablet, a British Catholic weekly
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During his program in Budapest, the head of the Catholic Church also met with representatives of the local Jewish community. “We must work to ensure that hatred does not disrupt our good relations. The best way to eliminate anti-Semitism is to support the brotherhood, “said Pope Francis. “The danger of anti-Semitism is still present in Europe and elsewhere in the world,” he warned.
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Slap Orbán
According to church analysts, Pope Francis clearly expressed his disagreement with Prime Minister Orbán’s policy, when he spent only a few hours in Budapest and spent up to four days in smaller Slovakia. The current head of the Catholic Church calls for the reception and integration of migrants and does not like Orbán’s policy against migrants.
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Pope Francis met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Photo: MTI
“The Pope’s decision to spend more time in Slovakia than in Hungary needs to be understood in the context of his harsh criticism of nationalist-populist leaders, such as the Hungarian prime minister,” the British Catholic weekly The Tablet warned.
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According to the US National Catholic Register, Hungarian politicians and church leaders tried to persuade the pope to spend more time in their country, but to no avail. The newspaper called it a “huge slap” to Orbán.
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Pope John Paul II last visited Slovakia. in 2003. He was then in Trnava, Banská Bystrica, Rožňava and Bratislava. John Paul II he was also in Slovakia in 1990 still in Czechoslovakia and in 1995. He was also accommodated at the Apostolic Nunciature in Bratislava during his visits to Slovakia. Pope Benedict XVI did not visit Slovakia during his pontificate.
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