Cardinal Koch visits Slovakia

Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, visited Slovakia on 28-30 March 2023 for various ecumenical meetings, accompanied by Rev. Jaromír Zádrapa, Official of the Eastern Section, responsible for relations with the Slavic Orthodox Churches.

On 28 March, in Košice, the Cardinal met with members of the Ecumenical Council of Churches, together with Jaroslav Polaček, Mayor of Košice, Anna Záborská, Plenipotentiary Representative of the Government of Slovakia for the Protection of Religious Freedom, and Marek Lisánský, the Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the Holy See. In his address, Cardinal Koch emphasized ecumenism as a distinctive characteristic of Košice. In the evening, an ecumenical concert of choirs from various local Christian churches was held in the Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Mother of God, under the auspices of Archbishop Cyril Vasil'. In his greeting, Cardinal Koch recalled that "the fullness of life is achieved only in the reciprocity of relationships."

On the morning of 29 March, Cardinal Koch received a commemorative gold medal from the University of Prešov. In his lecture entitled "Is Sacramental Unity between Catholics and Orthodox Possible?" the Cardinal presented the history of ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. In the afternoon, the Prefect was received by the Orthodox Archbishop of Prešov and Metropolitan of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, His Beatitude Rastislav. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, as well as the consequences of the war in neighboring Ukraine.

On 30 March, in Bratislava, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Candle Manifestation (Sviečková manifestácia), Cardinal Koch laid a wreath before the memorial on Hviezdoslav Square together with Rev. Ivan Eľko, President of the Ecumenical Council of Churches and General Bishop of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia, H.E. Archbishop Nicola Girasoli, Apostolic Nuncio in Slovakia, and representatives of the Slovak government. In his greeting, the Cardinal expressed his gratitude for the gift of freedom, "because with your lives you give witness to your commitment to continue to walk together as God's people, freed from the slavery of Egypt".

Cardinal Koch then met with representatives of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Slovakia, in which the Slovak Bishops' Conference has observer status. In his greeting, the Cardinal expressed his gratitude for the work of the Council. Cardinal Koch then participated in a panel on Jewish-Christian dialogue in Slovakia, organized by the Faculty of Theology of the University of Trnava. The Prefect gave a lecture on "Perspectives on Jewish-Christian Dialogue." On this occasion, Cardinal Koch met with Mr. Igor Rintel, Deputy Director of the Committee of Jewish Religious Communities in Slovakia, who also participated in the panel, Rev. Fr. Miloš Lichner, Dean of the Faculty of Theology in Trnava, and representatives of the Jewish community.