Slovakia” “

In our review of the States that will enter the European Union on 1st May, this week it’s the turn of the Slovak Republic. We asked Msgr. František Tondra , president of the Slovak Episcopal Conference, to explain how the Church is experiencing this approaching deadline and what commitments it has assumed. So far we have presented Cyprus (Sir no.14/2004), Poland (Sir no.15/2004), Malta (Sir no.18/2004) and Slovenia (Sir no.20/2004). EU entry marks not only a point of arrival but also one of departure for Slovakia. After years of Communism, what role can the Church play in this new European period in the country’s life? “The Church was at the centre of the process that led in the Middle Ages to the birth of the new Europe. Today, the continent is once again opening itself to universalism, though a universalism built on the external phenomena of politics, the economy and the mass media. It is the task of the Church to imbue this universalism with inner values, by offering principles that concern humanity as a whole and are founded on the natural moral law. In Slovakia the Christian roots have penetrated deep. The majority of the population perceive and recognise the need for faith and moral authority. Moreover, they believe in freedom conceived with a strong social accent, and aimed not at individualistic satisfaction but at the service of others. I’m convinced that the Church will be able to make a positive contribution to the construction of the European Union”. What are the advantages that Slovakia will derive from EU membership and what are the risks she might run? “We can cite the example of the house with closed doors and that with open doors. The open door enables us to go out, to get to know the world, to communicate. It also permits us to welcome a guest and receive from others what we don’t have ourselves. But there is a danger that someone may bring into our house something we don’t wish. This risk of openness and communication is ever actual. I believe too that good preparation is essential”. During his last visit to Slovakia the Pope thanked “the beloved Slovak people for being able to preserve, even in difficult times, their fidelity to Christ and his Church”. He also said: “Never be ashamed of the Gospel”. Today, on the eve of EU entry, what remains of these words? “It is well known that the Slovak people are richly endowed with such virtues as hospitality, openness, fidelity, respect for authority and order, hard work. Strengthened by the Christian faith, these virtues are still widely diffused among the population and I believe they may become a contribution also for the EU so long as the Union helps us to preserve them and the faith on which they are based. Today the major anxiety of the countries of Eastern Europe is precisely that of losing their own identity, in response to mass globalization”. How is the Slovak Church preparing for entry into Europe? Are there particular projects that will accompany the faithful on 1st May? “The Church of Slovakia played an active part in the project for the Katholikentag for the countries of Central Europe (MEKT). The Slovak Episcopal Conference published a long letter on EU membership back in 2002. On 15 February 2003 the pastoral letter on the pilgrimage of the nations to Mariazell was read out in all churches, and the commission of the Episcopal Conference for the family and that for youth prepared a booklet on the spiritual activities that will accompany the country’s entry into Europe on 1st May 2004. On 30 April there will be a liturgical prayer for the deputies of the Parliament prior to its solemn session and on the day of entry, 1st May, there will be a national pilgrimage to Nitra, where Saints Cyril and Methodius began their mission in 863. Apart from national projects of this kind, there is also ample scope for the projects of individual bishops or parish priests in their particular areas”. Fact File Slovakia has a population of 5,397,000 inhabitants: l’82% of the population profess themselves Christian (with an increase of 10.5% over the last decade). The Catholic Church comprises 8 dioceses, 1,480 parishes, 18 bishops, 1893 priests, 615 male and female religious. It runs 3 schools and 89 charitable associations.¤