Half a million join Slovakia's oldest pilgrimage

This year's pilgrimage to Mariánska hora (Marian Hill) in Levoča (Prešov region), which attracted approximately 600,000 faithful over two days, was rounded off by a Holy Mass on Sunday celebrated by cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, archbishop of Krakow and former secretary to Pope John Paul II. The pilgrimage centered around the 20th anniversary of John Paul II's visit to Slovakia as well as prayers for the institution of the family. According to the moderator of the pilgrimage Jozef Lapšanský, Dziwisz spoke about his relationship with John Paul II, noting the former pope's belief as early as in 1984 during communist-era Czechoslovakia that he would visit Mariánska hora one day. Slovakia's oldest pilgrimage, linked to the Feast of the Visitation of Our Lady, has been taking place on Mariánska hora since the Mongol invasion in the 13th century. The site saw the biggest pilgrimage ever in 1995, when it took place in the presence of John Paul II, with some 650,000 people attending.