4. February 2026

President Ivan Gašparovič accepted honorary membership in the NAPS Institute

He thus became the third Slovak president to accept honorary membership in the civic association.

On Wednesday, February 4, 2026, members of the Council of the NAPS Institute – Our Activities for Slovakia presented honorary membership in the civic association to Mr. Ivan Gašparovič, President of the Slovak Republic in the years 2004 – 2014. This happened during a reception that the President granted to representatives of the institute in the premises of the historic building of the National Council of the Slovak Republic. “We sincerely appreciate the work of the President and are grateful for the many gestures of moral support that the President has shown to the NAPS Institute during his presidential mandate. The NAPS Institute is already in its third decade of international non-commercial activities, which have been supported by a number of personalities from Slovakia and abroad. The fact that the first three Slovak presidents to date have accepted honorary membership in NAPS – the late Mr. Kováč, Mr. Schuster and now Mr. Gašparovič – is a significant milestone. It is not only a great honor, but also a commitment to continue the activities of the Institute. Especially those that deepen the much-needed dialogue and tolerance between nations and religions, and have already been blessed by three Popes of the Catholic Church,” said Peter Solej, founder and director of the NAPS Institute, to the media.

The NAPS Institute was founded by Peter Solej more than twenty years ago, at that time as the youngest author of a professional book in Slovakia and in the world. The non-profit organization carries out its activities in the field of ecumenism, education and culture. The activities of the civic association have been carried out in several Slovak cities in the past. In 2012, NAPS became the first partner of the international dialogue center Al Liqa´a, which was established and founded in Beirut by the Melkite Patriarch with the help of the Sultan of Oman. All events of the institute to date have been carried out without entrance fees, or for a voluntary contribution, the proceeds of which went to charity.

The most significant and regular activity of the NAPS Institute is the International Ecumenical Concert. So far, artists from eleven countries have performed at it and several world authorities have shown their support. The then Pope Benedict XVI sent his telegram for the fifth year of the event, in 2012 the concert was held during the presidency of the Republic of Cyprus in the Council of the EU and was also attended by the legate of the Jordanian prince. The ninth year was again an official event of the Košice Meeting of Bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches of Europe. In the past, the event was also held under the joint auspices of the presidents of Hungary and Slovakia. In 2017, the concert was dedicated to the memory of the first president of the Slovak Republic, Michal Kováč, who was also an honorary member of the NAPS Institute. The event in October 2017 in the new building of the Slovak National Theatre was also attended by the Pope’s closest collaborator in the field of ecumenism, Cardinal Kurt Koch, and the leader of Orthodox believers around the world, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, appointed his personal legate for it. The 16th annual concert was an event within the framework of the then Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and was granted the patronage by the Deputy Prime Ministers of Hungary and Slovakia, Zsolt Semjén and Tomáš Taraba.

Last year’s NAPS International Ecumenical Concert was held on October 25, 2025 in the Concert Hall of the Slovak Philharmonic in Bratislava with the participation of 140 artists from Slovakia, Jordan and Armenia. A personal message from the concert was also sent by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the spiritual leader of 330 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, who congratulated the NAPS Institute on entering the third decade of its activities. A recording of the event was broadcast by several Slovak and Czech television and radio stations.