Pope Francis welcomed the new Slovakian ambassador, Juraj Priputen, for a private meeting in the Vatican, cementing official diplomatic relations since 1993 between the Vatican State and Slovakia.
The ambassador gifted the pope a book on a being a bishop in the third millennium and another on churches in Slovakia. Pope Francis returned the gesture with some of his own texts and a symbol of his pontificate—the medal of the pontificate.
“For you, the Slovak people, the Blessed Virgin is a model of faith: a faith that involves journeying, a faith inspired by simple and sincere devotion, a constant pilgrimage to seek the Lord,” he said as he addressed the Slovakian people during a Mass on the feast of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows in 2021, the patron saint of Slovakia.
“Thank you for this witness. And please, always persevere on this journey. Do not stop.”
This was the third papal visit to Slovakia since the country gained independence in 1993. Pope John Paul II visited twice, once in 1993 and again in 2003.