Pope Francis made a surprise announcement after praying the Sunday Angelus in St. Peter's Square.
POPE FRANCIS
“I am happy to announce that from the 12th to 15th of September, God willing, I will travel to Slovakia to make a pastoral visit. The Slovaks here are happy!”
The Pope will visit the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava, as well as the cities of Prešov, Košice and Šaštin.
After his trip to Iraq, Pope Francis announced that he will close the International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest before going to Slovakia.
POPE FRANCIS
“I will go to Hungary for the final Mass of the Eucharistic Congress. Not a visit to the country, but I will go to the Mass. But Budapest is a two-hour drive from Bratislava. Why not pay a visit to the Slovakians too?”
Although the trip had already been hinted at on the papal plane, the Pope surprised many Slovaks by announcing he will spend nearly four days in their country.
Pope John Paul II visited both Hungary and Slovakia twice throughout his papacy.
JM
