On his second day in Bratislava, Pope Francis called Slovakia “to be a message of peace in the heart of Europe” and the church to evangelize with “freedom, creativity, and dialogue.”
Pope Francis praised his predecessor's courage in denouncing the danger of people no longer respecting or understanding the sacredness of human life in the introduction to a new book.
Pope Francis called on this majority Christian nation to stop closing in on itself and to open its arms and hearts to peoples of other ethnic backgrounds, religions and cultures.
In his meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Pope Francis is not as likely to celebrate the Hungary-first tendencies of Mr. Orban and his ruling Fidesz Party.
The oldest record of 1,700 years of Jewish life in Germany has arrived in Cologne, on loan from the Vatican Library thanks to intercession from Pope Francis.