12th September, Pope Francis is to start his visit to Slovakia, making the state holiday of Mary of the Seven Sorrows, the saint patron of Slovakia, unique in the year 2021. The Pope will go to Bratislava, Kosice, Presov and Sastin (Trnava region). He is scheduled to meet the country's top three constitutional officials as well as representatives of the Jewish and Roma communities. A Holy Mass with a homily given by the Pope will take place in Sastin on Wednesday, September 15.
It is the second time in 18 years that the head of Catholic Church is coming to meet with believers in Slovakia, also making it a major event for diplomacy.
President Zuzana Caputova will receive the Pope as the head of the Slovak Republic on Monday morning. The topics of their discussion have not been set ahead of their meeting. The usual ceremony with an guard of honour, military music and anthems will be prepared. The Pope will subsequently move with the president to the golden salon, where they will have a face-to-face conversation. According to the Head of the President Office's protocol department Roman Roth, the President was granted an „extraordinary time" for the meeting, exceeding the common 15 minutes.
The Pope's visit is causing changes to the transport organisation in the country. As of Sunday, freight transport will be limited at border crossings close to Bratislava. Due to restrictions at border crossings, delays are expected on highways passing and bypassing Bratislava. Traffic delays have already been announced in the capital centre for Monday morning. Some major traffic restrictions are expected in all the locations of Pope Francis visit.
It is possible to find all the information on traffic restrictions on the webpage of the Slovak police and Bratislava public transport operator.
Source: RTVS, Slovak media
