Patriarch Youssef
Visit to Slovakia 2006
The official visit of H.B. to Slovakia, 22-28 September 2006
Friday 22 September 2006
Arrival at Bratislava in the evening; dinner and stay at the Greek Catholic Seminary; the Patriarch was accompanied by Their Excellencies Joseph Absi, Patriarchal Auxiliary Archbishop, and Jean Assad Haddad, Metropolitan Emeritus of Tyre, and Mr. Michel Moussa.
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia; it is the country’s biggest city and an important economic and cultural centre, with a population of more than 450.000 inhabitants. The city, which is about 40 miles from Vienna, is crossed by the Danube. A city filled with historic memories from the Middle Ages, it was, before independence, an important centre in the life of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy. During the Ottoman occupation of Hungary, it was the residence of the Primates of Hungary in what is still today the Primatial Palace (Primacialny), and it is there that during this same period, were crowned the Apostolic Kings of Hungary. Formerly under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Eger (Hungary), this part of Slovakia was separated from it in 1922 to form the Apostolic Administration of Trnava, becoming an Archdiocese in 1977, with the name of Bratislava-Trnava from 1995; the Archbishop still resides at Trnava, but one of his Auxiliary Bishops permanently resides in Bratislava, where the Latin Great Seminary is also to be found.
Saturday 23 September 2006
In the morning, His Beatitude participated, in the Cathedral of Nitra, in the solemn Mass for the millennial jubilee of the Chapter of Canons of the Cathedral of Nitra. The celebration was presided over by H.E.Mgr. Viliam Judák, Bishop of Nitra; besides His Beatitude and the two Hierarchs of the patriarchal delegation, the concelebrants were their Excellencies Mgr. Marián Chovanec, Auxiliary Bishop of Nitra and Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference de Slovakia, and Mgr. Stanisław Budzik, Auxiliary Bishop of Tarnów (Poland).
There followed a big dinner at the Bishop’s Palace, at which there participated as well His Eminence Cardinal Ján Chryzostom Korec, S.J., Bishop Emeritus of Nitra, and a great number of priests who had come from all over Slovakia, as well as from Austria, Poland and Germany.
At 6p.m., His Beatitude, assisted by the two Hierarchs of the patriarchal delegation, presided over Saturday evening Vespers in the Greek Catholic parish church of the Holy Cross. After Vespers, His Beatitude greeted the congregation and gave them a brief account of the situation of Christians in the Near East, underlining the important and indispensable role of the Eastern Catholic Churches for the whole of the Catholic Church, especially at the ecumenical level. The Patriarch, on the other hand, encouraged the Greek Catholic faithful of Slovakia to keep to and live faithfully by their Byzantine tradition, and asked them also to pray especially for their brethren living in lands threatened by war. Finally, the parish priest, Father Peter Rusnak, thanked His Beatitude for his presence among them and for his prayer with them.
Sunday, 24 September 2006
A 3p.m., His Beatitude presided at the Divine Liturgy of the Byzantine rite in several languages (Church Slavonic, Arabic and Greek), in Saint Martin’s Church, with the investiture of new members of the Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem. Concelebrating with the Patriarch, were notably, Father Marek Chryzostom Vadrna, Chaplain of the Order of Saint Lazarus, as well as Fathers Peter Rusnak and Ratislav Cizik, from the Greek Catholic Parish of Bratislava.
After the Liturgy, reception at the Primatial Palace, then a meeting of His Beatitude with the Slovak Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Robert Fico.
Monday, 25 September, 2006
In the morning, interview of the Patriarch on Slovak television, then departure for the city of Prešov, in Eastern Slovakia. En route, dinner at the Tri Studnicky hotel, in Demanovska Dolina (central Slovakia), at the foot of the Nizke Tarty mountains (6.000 feet high).
In the afternoon, meeting with the new Orthodox Archbishop of Prešov, H.E. Ján (Holonič), with a reciprocal presentation by the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church of Slovakia and of the Czech Lands, in the presence notably of Archpriest Dr. Milan Gerka, professor at the Orthodox Theology Faculty of Prešov, who has developed positively current relations between Orthodox and Greek-Catholics in Slovakia, after a difficult period.
Towards the evening, departure for Košice and, en route, visit to the Abbey of the Premonstratensian Canons Regular at Jasov; the Abbot, Mgr. Tomáš Karol Bartal, gave the visitors a presentation on the abbatial church.
In the evening, arrival at Košice, walk and dinner in the town centre; staying the night at the Great Seminary of the Latin Archdiocese of Košice.
Tuesday, 26 September, 2006
Breakfast at the Seminary. The Vice-Rector, Father Imrich Dergo, presented the story of the building, constructed in 1642 to house impoverished noblewomen, then the seat of the Grand Seminary of the Latin Diocese of Košice (created in 1804), confiscated in 1994, then restored to the present Archdiocese of Košice.
A 10:30 a.m., arrival of His Beatitude at the see of the Greek Catholic Exarchate Apostolic of Košice and meeting with the Bishop and Apostolic Exarch, H.E. Milan Chautur, C.Ss.R. (Redemptorist). In the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God, the Patriarch and the Apostolic Exarch blessed the icon of Saint Sára Salkahazi.
In a brief speech, His Beatitude compared the martyrs of the Near East and those of Europe, especially under the communist regime. The Patriarch recalled that the word "martyr" has two meanings: the shedding of one’s blood, even unto death, and (in the original etymological meaning) a Christian’s witness in the different circumstances of life.
After an interview for a religious programme on Slovak state television, a vin d'honneur was given at the see of the Apostolic
Exarchate, followed by a visit to its services and offices, notably its economic section. The Economos of the Apostolic Exarchate is a woman, and the office workers are mostly women.
Towards noon, return to Prešov. The Patriarch was welcomed to the eparchial residence by the Bishop (Vladyka), H.E. Ján Babjak, S.J., who accompanied His Beatitude on a visit to the Cathedral of Saint John the Fore-runner, and notable to the two chapels where repose the relics of the two Holy Martyr Bishops of Prešov, Pavel Gojdič and Vasil Hopko, then to the eparchial museum, which contains many valuable historical objects, and the chapel of the eparchial residence with its new iconostasis. The Eparch presented His Beatitude with a very beautifully carved wooden hand cross.
There followed dinner in the great hall of the eparchial residence, in the presence of the Protosyncellos of the Eparchy, Mgr. Marcel Mojzes, and others. When His Beatitude took his leave, the Eparch offered him two little reliquaries of his martyred predecessors.
In the afternoon, departure for Spišské Podhradie, Latin Diocesan See of Spiš, where the Patriarch was welcomed by the Bishop, H.E. Mgr František Tondra, President of the Episcopal Conference of Slovakia, and Auxiliary Bishop, H.E. Mgr Štefan Sečka. The conversation concerned the situation in the Near East, with which the Bishop of Spiš is well acquainted, as well as the juridical status and position of the Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, and its recognition at the level of the Episcopal Conference.
There followed a visit to the Saint Martin’s Cathedral and the tomb of the martyred Bishop Ján Vojtassak.
In the evening, dinner and overnight stay at the Tri Studnicky hotel at Demanovska Dolina (central Slovakia).
Wednesday 27 September 2006
Return journey through the mountains of Nizke Tatry. Dinner at Mount Zobor, where one of the first Slovak monasteries was built in the 9th.century.
In the afternoon, to Bratislava, interview for a review, then reception at the Mirbach Palace and meeting with the President of the Republic of Slovakia, H.E. Mr. Ivan Gasparovič.
Thursday, 28 September, 2006
End of the visit.
Departure from Vienna Airport for Beirut.
V.C.