On his second day in Bratislava, Pope Francis called Slovakia “to be a message of peace in the heart of Europe” and the church to evangelize with “freedom, creativity, and dialogue.”
Pope Francis called on this majority Christian nation to stop closing in on itself and to open its arms and hearts to peoples of other ethnic backgrounds, religions and cultures.
In his meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Pope Francis is not as likely to celebrate the Hungary-first tendencies of Mr. Orban and his ruling Fidesz Party.
Archbishop Koch said he regarded the double marginalization of Catholic gays — within the Catholic community as well as in the LGBTQ community — as “problematic and painful.”