The Slovene bishops shall never forget all that the Pope has done for Slovenia. Their gratitude has been expressed in a letter sent to John Paul II on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his pontificate. Its purpose was explained to SIR by Father Janez Gril, spokesman of the Slovene bishops: “Slovenia is happy for the Pope and is grateful to him for the two visits he paid to our country, the first in 1996 and especially the one in 1999, when he beatified the bishop of Maribor Anton Martin Slomek, the first Slovene to be raised to the honours of the altars. On that occasion he urged us to follow in the footsteps of the new Blessed, who wished to know and perform the will of God. He also appealed to Slovene youth, to priests and to the laity who work in the public institutions to follow Anton Martin Slomek as an example of honesty, service and the courageous search for justice and the common good. To the example of Anton Martin Slomek the Pope added his own, made even more eloquent by the suffering that transpires from his every gesture”.
