11. December 2024
Representatives of NAPS Institute met with Pope Francis for the 8th time
The Pontiff blessed the international ecumenical activities of NAPS on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the foundation of the institute.
Members of the Council of NAPS Institute – Our Activities for Slovakia, Peter and Lenka Solej, together with colleagues and friends of the non-profit organization, visited the Vatican in the second week of Advent. At the end of the General Audience, which was granted by Pope Francis in the Paul VI Hall, they also met together with the Holy Father. „I presented His Holiness with photos of the most significant moments from the 16 NAPS International Ecumenical Concerts so far, and I am very grateful that the Pope gave his Apostolic Blessing with his own handwritten signature. We are happy that the Pope accepted the liturgical stole as a gift, which I had the honor to personally wear to His Holiness on this occasion,“ said NAPS founder and director Peter Solej after the meeting.
After the meeting with the Head of the Catholic Church, the guests from Slovakia visited the Vatican Gardens and were received at a special audience by the Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Kurt Koch. „His Eminence was very interested in the advancement of the international ecumenical activities of NAPS. We also talked about events in Slovakia and several current social topics,“ added Solej. The cooperation of the Slovak Institute with the Vatican Dicastery began in 2010, and Cardinal Koch made his first ever visit to Slovakia in 2017 precisely at the invitation of the NAPS Institute.