“The recent concrete steps towards EU enlargement arouse feelings of hope among the faithful and their pastors, but also a consciousness of the new tasks that await us”. So says Father Marian Gavenda, spokesman of the Slovak Bishops’ Conference. To guide the faithful in the recent general and local elections the bishops replaced the traditional pastoral letter with a kind of compendium that sums up the teaching of Vatican II and of the social doctrine of the Church, and that explains the principles of subsidiarity, solidarity, freedom and plurality, common values based on Christianity. The document, distributed in all the country’s churches, also comprises a reflection on Slovakia’s role in the EU. The bishops hope for a new impetus in evangelization, overcoming the traditional methods and spheres of apostolate, and with a heightened attention to the influence and challenges posed by the mass media. The main areas of concern are at the social level. “It seems that the areas in the country with over 40% of unemployment, with all the social consequences that flow from it Gavenda points out will not easily achieve an improvement with entry into Europe. On the contrary, it is feared that this will only increase the problems in Slovakia’s underdeveloped agricultural areas. The ministries of health, education and culture are suffering from the effects of a profound economic crisis. The negotiations on enlargement in Brussels have concentrated especially on the economic and environmental spheres and on the question of human rights. The letter of congratulations and good wishes sent to the new Slovak government by the Episcopal Conference asks it to dedicate itself also to the cultural and social spheres, and expresses the hope for a real improvement”. Slovakia has a population of 5,397,000, 82% of whom declare themselves Christian (with an increase of 10.5% over the last 10 years). There are 8 Catholic dioceses, 1,480 parishes, 18 bishops, 1893 priests, 615 men and women religious, 3 educational institutes and 89 mission-aid societies.
