Pope Francis met the president of Slovakia, Zuzana Čaputová for his official welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava.
Just as the wind picked up, children dressed in traditional outfits offered bread and salt to the Pope, a customary Slavic gift to visitors.
The two then proceeded to greet members of each other's staff before meeting privately in the Palace's Golden Hall.
Shortly afterwards, President Čaputová officially welcomed Pope Francis before members of the Slovak government, the diplomatic corps, and the country's civil and religious leaders.
ZUZANA ČAPUTOVÁ
President of Slovakia
“Generations of parents and grandparents have an inscription in their homes: Guest in the house, God in the house. Your Holiness Pope Francis, welcome to Slovakia.”
He drew upon the example of Saints Cyril and Methodius, who brought Christianity to the Slavs, as an example of fostering unity in Slovakia and beyond.
POPE FRANCIS
'Cyril and Methodius identified with all, and sought communion with all: Slavs, Greeks and Latins alike. Their firm faith found expression in a spontaneous openness to others. This is the legacy that you are called to preserve, so that in our time too, you can be a sign of unity.'
The Pope also reflected on the spiritual significance behind the Slavic custom of offering bread and salt to visitors which he received earlier that morning .
POPE FRANCIS
“The bread spoken of in the Gospel is always broken. This sends a powerful message for our life as a community: it reminds us that true wealth does not consist simply in multiplying the things we have, but in sharing them fairly with those around us.”
Before leaving Slovakia's Presidential Palace, Pope Francis signed a note in the visitor's log, assuring his prayers for the “young country with ancient roots.”
The Pope also gave the president a cast of the pontifical medal for his apostolic journey in Slovakia depicting Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, the Patroness of Slovakia.
JM
