On Saturday, March 1, a Holy Mass was to be celebrated in a number of churches for the support of priest Róbert Bezák on the occasion of his 54th birthday. Bezák was controversially removed from his post of Trnava archbishop by former pope Benedict XVI in July 2012 for allegedly revealing questionable financial transactions performed by the church.
The mass in Trnava church was celebrated by priest Ján Košiar however he chose to change its text, saying that the Mass would instead be dedicated to archbishop Bezák so that he would comprehend his guilt and accept the decision of the Holy Father. Such a choice of words did not sit well with present congregation, however. After the mass, the adherents of Bezák were so outraged that they jumped the priest, yelling at him, pulling at his coat and refusing to let him leave the church. Others wished to assault him outside. “For changing the mass, he deserves a slap or two”, said a number of believers. The Trnava archdiocese expressed its regret over the incident. “Any form of violence perpetrated on Holy soil is qualified as a grave offence in the Catholic Church. We express our sadness over Saturday's incident”, said Trnava Diocese spokesman Dušan Kolenčík.
