Na Luníku IX. welcomed Pope Francis by singing – Home – PRAVDA.sk

Pope Francis continues the pastoral path of encouraging minorities and people on the margins of society. “You are not on the edge in the church. You are in the heart of the church,” the pope said at Luník IX. After meeting sick homeless people and representatives of the Jewish community in Bratislava, he also visited the Luník IX housing estate in Košice, where the Roma community lives.

Photo: Ivan Majerský, The truth

Pope Francis on Košice Luník IX.

After the liturgy in Prešov, the pope was transported to the Košice seminary for a private lunch, after which he was transferred to the settlement of Luník IX.

Many dozens of soldiers and police officers closed the settlement at two o’clock. Here, too, it was necessary to pass a security check. The only pub in the housing estate was closed on this day.

Locals and guests waited for the arrival of the head of the Catholic Church during the cultural program. Children from the choir Maria kere čave from the local primary school Ľ. Podjavorinská and popular hip hop was also heard among young people.

The meeting with the Roma community took place in front of the local Salesian Community Center, which is in the middle of the settlement.

Directly below the podium, a space was reserved for vaccinated visitors, of which there were about 1,500.

From the windows of apartments

The second sector, where there were about 4,000 people, was reserved by the organizers for those tested. The last third sector for everyone else was the furthest from the podium and at the same time the emptyest. It was located in the poorest part of the settlement near the settlement, where some locals do not want to go.

However, a number of locals watched the program and the pope’s appearance from the windows of their apartments. When the head of the Catholic Church arrived, there was a very lively atmosphere in the settlement. The Pope appeared on the stage during a song in the Romani language – Av manca, phrala, jajč pal o Del, which means Come brother with me, we follow God.

VIDEO: Arrival of the Pope to the settlement of Luník IX.

The Pope was welcomed almost exactly at the fourth in the courtyard of the Salesian Provincial Provincial in Slovakia by Peter Timko, the Director of the Salesian Community in Luník IX, Peter Veselský, and two Roma children with flowers – Liliana and Patrik.

After a short greeting, the Salesians handed over to the Pope two paintings of the Romani Blessed Emilia and Zephirin and a miniature of the sculpture of Christ the Risen One, the original of which can be found in the church in Luník.

You are in the heart of the church

Ján Hero and his wife from the Roma settlement of Medoravce in the Krupina district gave the first testimony. “We perceive your visit as an expression of great interest and as a confirmation of God’s unconditional love for the Roma community in Slovakia and for the Roma around the world,” said Hero.

Nikola Harakályová and her husband René, who grew up on Luník IX, testified with the other. “Growing up in this settlement is challenging, but thanks to the Church and the Salesians, we survived the adolescence more beautifully and meaningfully,” said 28-year-old Nikola.

“My husband and I wanted to leave this settlement, but we didn’t know how. The Salesians gave us hope that it would be possible. We took out a mortgage, bought an apartment and moved to another part of Košice. Today, thanks to all this, we offer our children a happier, more dignified and peaceful life, “she emphasized.

“You are not on the edge of the church. You are in the heart of the Church, “said Pope Francis in an intercession, after which those present prayed the Father’s Prayer in Romani. Finally, the pope blessed the believers.

The pope went to the court of the Salesian Center to sing a Romani song. There he greeted MEP Peter Polák, Mayor of the Luník IX district Marcel Šaň or the oldest resident of this settlement Anna Kroková.

“It’s great that the Pope has come. I’m not a believer myself, but it’s definitely for local encouragement. But even more important it seems to me that Pope Francis drew attention to Luník. It is necessary to work not only with the Roma, but also with the majority, which does not make it very easy for the locals, “said Jakub Andor, a local volunteer who worked at Luník IX as a community worker.

“He shows God not only great and noble but also human. We were very pleasantly surprised that the Holy Father decided to come to us through the copper, “said Religious Sister Silvia Zábava from the Congregatio Jesu about the Pope.

Read more Everyone is a gift and can make life a gift, the pope spoke to the young people in Košice

Since the visit, he promises not only to support the dignity of the life of local Roma but also to spread the positive stories of Roma among the majority society.

Roma from all over Slovakia came to Luník. “You could say that it is a miracle,” said Pope Karol Sivák, a Roma who came from Zborov near Bardejov, about the visit. Luník was preparing for the arrival of the pope for several days. They stretched new asphalt onto the broken driveway, repaired sidewalks and surrounding green areas. In addition to landscaping and cleaning, they also beautified the housing estate with rural painting, which was created according to the model of local children. It depicts flowers growing from the cracks of the building and are supposed to represent beauty and resilience that is able to assert itself even in difficult conditions. The painting wants to highlight human value and beauty, regardless of living conditions.

The work is thus intended to respond to the thoughts of Pope Francis, who often directs his attention to places where people in need live.

Then the pope leaves by car to meet the young people at the Lokomotiv Stadium.