His All Holiness Bartholomew I Received by Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič

President of the Slovak Republic Ivan Gašparovič received His All Holiness Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, on Monday, 27 May 2013.

“Your visit is all the more significant because it takes place at the time when we are celebrating the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius to the territory of present Slovakia,” President Gašparovič said to emphasise the importance of the current visit by His All Holiness Bartholomew I to Slovakia.

Ivan Gašparovič also reminded that the Patriarch was visiting Slovakia at the time when the country commemorated the 20th anniversary of its sovereignty.

Our highest official representative emphasised at a meeting with Bartholomew I that Slovakia’s existence as an independent and sovereign country was also built on the values and legacy of the brothers of Thessalonica, as accentuated in the Preamble to the Constitution of the Slovak Republic. The Slovak President awarded the Order of the White Double Cross of Second Class to the Ecumenical Patriarch for his extraordinary contribution to the understanding among nations and for promoting the good reputation of the Slovak Republic abroad.

Archbishop Bartholomew I said he had been very much pleased to accept the invitation to the celebrations marking the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of the ‘Apostles to the Slavs’ to the territory of contemporary Slovakia. He reminded the importance of the Cyrilo-Methodian legacy for Europe and the world. “You have given rise to a tremendous culture,” he said.

Bartholomew I thanked President Ivan Gašparovič for preserving and nurturing the Cyrilo-Methodian tradition. Also, he congratulated Slovakia on the achievements it had made since the establishment of the sovereign Slovak Republic. “Slovakia is an example of successful advancements,” the Ecumenical Patriarch said at the meeting.

Bartholomew I said he was convinced that the Orthodox Christian Church was spreading the good and dignity among its more than 50,000 believers in Slovakia. “I am content with the situation in the dialogue and talks prevailing in Slovakia,” he added.

President Ivan Gašparovič appreciated the positive evaluation of the activities of the Orthodox Catholic Church in Slovakia. “I wish to express my greatest admirations and thank you for your commitment and your open support to ecumenism. In particular with respect to Eastern and Western churches,” the Slovak President emphasised.