KOSICE, Slovakia (AP) – Pope Francis traveled to the far east of Slovakia on Tuesday to meet with the country’s gypsies in a gesture of inclusion for the country’s most socially marginalized minority group. has suffered discrimination and poverty.
Francis’ visit to the Lunik IX settlement in Kosice was one of the highlights of his four-day pilgrimage to Hungary and Slovakia. It is his first trip since he underwent bowel surgery in July and marks the resumption of his trotamund papacy after a nearly two-year hiatus of coronavirus.
Lunik IX is the largest of about 600 shabby and segregated settlements where the poorest 20% of Slovakia’s 400,000 gypsies live. Most lack basic elements such as running water or sewer, gas or electricity systems.
Even before the pope arrived, residents said Tuesday that something had already changed, both tangible and not.
“We have new roads, new stairs, they fixed everything,” resident Alexander Horvath said. “It was all destroyed before.”
“People are different, you can feel the Holy Spirit in the air,” resident Mario Tomi said. “You can feel freedom in the air.”
The “pope of the peripheries” has long sought to meet with the most marginalized in society during his travels abroad, making sure to always include visits to slums, ghettos or prisons where he can offer words of encouragement, solidarity and welcome.
Francis began the day by celebrating a Byzantine rite Mass in Presov, near Kosice, in recognition of the country’s Greek Catholic believers. During the mass full of outdoor singing, Francis struck a blow at European politicians who often brandish crosses to emphasize their Christian credentials.
“Crucifixes are all around us: on the neck, in houses, in cars and in pockets,” he said. “We do not reduce the cross to an object of devotion, much less to a political symbol, to a sign of religious and social status.”
Organizers said more than 30,000 people attended and received the Eucharist with teaspoons as is done in the Eastern rite.
Long before Francis arrived, they had filled the place while a choir sang hymns. The yellow and white flags of the Holy See cheered and waved wildly as Francis walked through the crowd of his popemobile before the service.
“We came here at 3 in the morning to get the best place,” said Slavka Marcinakova, a resident of Presov. “Pope coming to Slovakia: you only have an opportunity like this once in a lifetime, we are very happy about it.”
Among those attending the Mass was Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, a longtime aide to St. John Paul II, the Polish pope who made three visits to Slovakia during his quarter-century papacy.
The Rev. Michal Ospodar, a Greek Catholic priest from Kosice, said Francis’ visit would encourage the local faithful persecuted during the atheist communist government.
“Our church has suffered a lot in the past because we were loyal to the pope,” he said. “Therefore, we are grateful that the pope came to our region and that we can meet him personally.”
Francis, 84, has appeared in good shape during his trip, clearly enjoying returning to the road after the coronavirus, and after his bowel surgery in July, he kept him locked up in the Vatican.
After the meeting of the Mass and the gypsies, Francis met with the young people of Slovakia. He returns to Rome on Wednesday after celebrating his big main mass in Sastin, near the capital, where an annual pilgrimage is held every September 15 to venerate the patron saint of Slovakia, Our Lady of Sorrows.
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Karel Janicek reported from Prague, Czech Republic. Adam Pemble, Andrea Rosa and Luigi Navarra contributed to this report.