Edited by RPIC Prešov | Presov Region
Pope John Paul II in Slovakia
Country: Slovakia
Region: Presov Region
Type of inspiration: Beliefs
Inspiracja
The first pastoral visit of the Holy Father John Paul II to Slovakia took place in 1995, when from 30 June to 3 July he gradually visited the important Marian pilgrimage sites of Šaštín, Nitra and Levoča. In addition to these cities, he also visited Bratislava, Kosice, Prešov, Poprad, the High Tatras and the Spišská Kapitula.
On 2 July 1995, for the first time in the history of Prešov, the city welcomed the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Holy Father Pope John Paul II. On his 66th trip abroad, he arrived in the afternoon from Košice. First, he visited the Cathedral Greek Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist, where, in the side chapel of Sts. Peter and Paul, he honoured the memory of Bishop Peter Pavel Gojdič by praying at the catafalque containing his remains. Using the papamobile, he drove unplanned through the historical centre of the city to the building of the Evangelical college, where he stopped at the monument to the executed - victims of the Prešov bloodbath. Showing respect to the memory of the executed Protestant townsfolk, he showed tolerance and interest in the matter of bringing the churches together. He then travelled on the papamobile along Hlavná Street to the city hall, where more than two hundred thousand Christians were already waiting for him. At around half past six in the evening, he appeared before the crowd dressed in bright archpriestly vestments, wearing a mitre with gold stitching on his head. He greeted the chanting faithful with the words 'Slava Isusu Christu' in Old Slavonic. Pope John Paul was welcomed in a solemn address by Bishop Mons. Ján Hirka. After the speech, the Pope recited the akathist to the Blessed Mother of God together with the faithful. After the akathist, the Holy Father bid farewell to those present and was taken by limousine accompanied by other cars to the Spiš Chapter, where he spent the night.
His visit culminated in the celebration of a solemn Mass during his pilgrimage to Marian Hill in Levoèa on 3 July 1995. The pilgrimage was attended by more than 650,000 faithful.
The Pope rested in the High Tatras near the Silesian House, where a cross he had consecrated still stands today. From there he flew by helicopter over the peaks of the Tatra Mountains, over Zakopane and arched beyond Rysy via Liptov to return to the Tatras. At the end of the visit, the Holy Father flew from Poprad airport directly to the Vatican.
The visit of the Holy Father John Paul II is commemorated by a monument to him in Prešov, which symbolises the agreement between the churches that the Pope expressed during his visit. In Poprad, there is a commemorative plaque that was installed to mark the 20th anniversary of his visit. It features the appeal "Do not be afraid!".
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