However, he also points out that you cannot rest on your laurels and assume that everything is fine. ‘I am grateful to generations of Slovak Catholics for keeping the faith. But the challenge is to open up a bit. Faith is also transmitted through openness,” emphasises the sixty-eight-year-old archbishop. ‘We have to keep moving, not stop. This is especially true when it comes to working with younger generations.”

You gave us an interview to celebrate the seventieth birthday of Pope Leo XIV. There is another notable event for our editorial office to celebrate this year: the fortieth anniversary of my diplomatic service to the Holy See. I went to Jakarta on 1 May 1985, and I have been abroad almost constantly since then. I only worked in Rome for three years.

I know your diary is highly regarded in Slovakia, so I am glad to be able to make a small contribution with my testimony. I feel like a pilgrim in Slovakia. Of course, my role is primarily one of service, and I try to walk alongside people.

We would also like to talk about one of the last countries where you worked: Peru. Due to the current Holy Father, you have not been able to visit this country for five years. How do you remember Bishop Robert Francis Prevost?
I worked in Peru from 2017 to 2022, during which time the current Pope was bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo and vice president of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference.

Of course, during the years that we knew each other, we met many times. We both left Peru in August 2022, and I called him to Rome a few months later. I see it as an intense experience, and I was able to talk to Bishop Prevost about many topics at the time.

Did it ever occur to you that he might one day become Pope?
Certainly, when Pope Francis called him to Rome to head the Dicastery for Bishops, one of the most important offices of the Roman Curia, it became clear what a strong character he was. For example, he is from North America, but he spent many years as a missionary in Latin America and also served as the superior general of a large religious congregation.

All of this demonstrated his strong qualities, which could one day influence the conclave. 

I am referring, of course, to the idea of him becoming Pope, rather than my belief that he definitely will. However, I admit that I have always seen something special in Monsignor Robert. He is the kind of leader who possesses extraordinary qualities in the best sense of the word.

Do you remember how you felt after his election?

I was very happy. I was also happy because, like with the election of Pope Francis, I know him personally. I lived in Argentina for five years when he was a cardinal and archbishop in Buenos Aires. At that time, I was not yet an apostolic nuncio; I worked at the nunciature as a counselor.

What has changed for you as apostolic nuncio since the election of Pope Leo XIV?
We continue with joy, in continuity. In this sense, we can speak of a new enthusiasm to do our task even better.

Photo: Attitude/Andrej Lojan

We know what shaped Pope Francis in his native Argentina. For the current Pope, this is a Peruvian experience. From the perspective of an ordinary Slovak, it is probably the same, as it is in South America; however, are there significant differences between Catholicism in Peru and Argentina?

These are different experiences, because Robert Prevost is, after all, a missionary. He arrived in Peru with missionary zeal relatively young with other Augustinians from North America. Robert Prevost’s fundamental life dimension is missionary.

You speak in the present tense.

Yes, because he is a missionary, and he will continue to be one as Pope. Pope – missionary.

In the case of Cardinal Bergoglio, who later became Pope Francis, it was different. Born and raised in Argentina, he naturally had a vision of the Church in harmony with his people.

What about the differences between Peru and Argentina?
Religiosity in Latin America shares specific characteristics, such as popular piety, sensitivity to faith, and strong Marian reverence. However, there are also differences, though I didn’t see any fundamental ones.

You have been working in Slovakia for three years. How would you describe this period? What surprised you?

As you know me a little already, I won’t reveal anything new: I have always placed a strong emphasis on pastoral care. The beginning was difficult, especially with regard to the language. It was hard for me to preach and read, but I still started travelling and visiting people.
It became easier later on because I learned to read in Slovak. I think I’m doing pretty well. (Smile.)
So, what brought you here?

Above all, I was surprised by the religiosity and faith of the Slovak nation. It was a beautiful and joyful fact for me that I had not heard of before. By the way, I came to Europe in 2022 after twenty-four years spent outside our continent.

I was affected by the strong faith and religiosity of the people, as evidenced by great pilgrimages, for example. I go everywhere – I was recently in Liptovský Mikuláš, and before that in Levoča and Šaštín. I also attended the Godzone and Lumen festivals, and I see that they are all focused on religion – they are not cultural events.
When we hold such large-scale festivities in Italy, they are always cultural events. Prayer and faith are present here. I often mention this to my superiors in Rome and invite them to visit you. This is how Cardinal Parolin came to Slovakia. Cardinal Prevost was also supposed to come; everything was ready… (Smile.)

I am encouraged by the number of young people and families present. When I realized this, I started working with your bishops to strengthen your faith. In other words, we need to be more enthusiastic.

People respond well to this type of preaching and approach. So I will continue to do so. I visited 85 cities in Slovakia, from west to east. Initially, I visited parishes incognito, as they didn’t know me yet. During the summer, I attended a different parish every Sunday.

You also visit tiny parishes and villages.
I want to be close to people because I feel that the Slovak nation longs for this and responds positively to it. I continued this approach, and through interacting with people, I identified some features that are typical of the Slovak church.

What’s going on?

Compared to the other European countries where I lived, I managed to pass on the faith to young people in Slovakia. In Italy or Spain, however, my generation did not succeed. In Slovakia, however, you have families who have passed on the faith.

The risk is that the next generation will do the same, so it is crucial to reach out to young and middle-aged families to ensure the transmission of faith. That is why I rely heavily on pilgrimages, especially those for young people and families, which are essential.

Is that enough?
Another important point to note is the emphasis on communities. Many countries are experiencing a crisis of institutions and institutionalism. Not only in Slovakia, but in many other countries too, such as Italy, people perceive institutions as very distant. They no longer engage with them. This is why we must be careful not to turn our churches into museums.

Institutions no longer seem cosy, if you see what I mean. We need to engage with communities and continue to do so. These are ideas that were very close to Pope Francis, and we can see them in the early days of Leo XIV’s pontificate too.

I personally visited several communities in Slovakia, both large and small. They invited me to come and pray and encourage them, so I accepted.

Photo: Attitude/Andrej Lojan

What has been your experience of working with the Godzone project and this generation of young Catholics?
I’ll tell you how it all started. I arrived in Slovakia in August 2022, and by the end of October, I had celebrated a Mass at St Elizabeth’s in Košice, at the invitation of Archbishop Bober. The next day, someone called the nunciature. They told my secretary, Father Andrej, “We heard the nuncio in Košice. Tell him that he must go to Godzone. Let him go; there will be ten thousand young people.”

That phone call took place in the afternoon, and that evening, Godzone was in Bratislava’s Incheba. At first, I had no idea what it was exactly. I asked Bishop Jozef Haľek’s father to accompany me.

Had you encountered something like this before?

I experienced something similar in Central America, where mass pre-evangelisation meetings are often used for proclamation. I have confidence in these meetings because they aim to inspire people. There is quality music and good speakers and preachers. I find them beneficial, and of course, over time, I got to know the Godzone project even better.

The Church in Slovakia officially declared that only around forty percent of parishes took part in the national phase of the synodal process. Do you think synodality could nevertheless become an integral part of how the Church functions in our country?
You asked a good question because you used the essential term ‘synodal process’ in it. All processes take time. Pope Francis often says that he only provided the initial impetus. In a critical address to the Italian Bishops’ Conference, the current Holy Father, Leo XIV, said that synodality must become a mentality. I often repeat this nice statement in my homilies. If we want something to become a mentality, it takes time.

What does synodality mean to you?
As I often say, we have to stick together. In the day-to-day life of dioceses and parishes, this may not always be easy, but I sense that the synodal process is gradually becoming more widespread.

Let’s not forget that it progresses only gradually everywhere in the world. The Synod on Synodality was exceptional in that we had the pre-synodal phase, then the Synod itself, and now the post-synodal phase is underway.

It is also common for the document, the apostolic exhortation, to be published after a standard synod, at which point the synod ends. In this case, however, it is different because synodal walking requires a change in people’s mentality, and that takes time.

However, we must remain faithful to the identity of our faith and tradition. So, when we talk about synodality, this does not mean abandoning your identity.

In the parishes I visit, I can see where they embrace synodality and foster a sense of community and participation. Conversely, I can also see where the focus is solely on the institutional dimension. But I’m optimistic.
What should the concrete result of the synodal process be? Let’s try to name one or two things.
One thing that is already happening in many places is the greater participation of lay people in the life of the Church. Greater involvement

In my sermons, I emphasise that we should not only be present at Holy Mass, but also participate in it. During my visits to parishes, I often remind believers that they must participate. As Pope Francis said, we cannot just stand in the choir.

But what exactly should that expression be?
Let’s talk about the critical role of parish councils and pastoral councils. In some countries, this topic is a necessity due to the low number of priests. Thankfully, there are still priests in Slovakia, so the issue of parish councils does not seem to be at the forefront. However, as I said, believers should be included in church life; they should not just be seen as numbers.

I think that even here in Slovakia you can already see lay people in positions and tasks that were previously held exclusively by priests. But it’s also a process.

There is still a missionary dimension. However, a mission is possible only based on credibility. The more credible we are, the sooner we can consistently testify in front of people.

I also want to emphasize that we do not underestimate great pilgrimages and evangelization events, we have enough vocations from there. That’s why we need to continue and evaluate it. It assumes that we, as priests and bishops, will encourage people to feel integrated into the active life of the church. We talk a lot with the bishops about how to do it.

How?

This is where the synodal process comes into play. We can’t afford to say it’s good as it is and that we’re happy with it.

We have to keep moving forward. This is especially true when working with younger generations. It’s great that there are religious orders dedicated to working with them, for example. We recognise that young people often feel abandoned, and the Church can support them and connect with them.

I am writing a book on these topics, which will be published at Christmas. This is also to mark my forty years of service in the Holy See’s diplomatic service.

Photo: Attitude/Andrej Lojan

Pope Francis delivered a powerful message in Slovakia, calling for creativity and an end to rigidity. Do you think any of this is being implemented?
Before my arrival, I read and reflected on his speeches in Slovakia. From them, you could sense the Pope’s deep affection for your country. He said that he is poetry and a bridge, which are very nice and honest words. I repeat: honest.

Then there’s the topic you mentioned in your question, which doesn’t only concern Slovakia. Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has emphasized openness. He believed that we had to open up a bit because, if we didn’t, we might feel stronger, but we would actually be weaker.

I think that the Slovak bishops accepted it, the church as such accepted it, although, I repeat, some things take time.

At the start, I mentioned why I travel so much to see people.

We didn’t finish discussing that at all. So why?
It’s because a person loves more when they know more. You can’t say you know and love a person if you haven’t seen them. Through the visits I make, I get to know more and therefore love your country more. I have noticed that many people really want to open up. Even small-scale pilgrimages are a way to openness. After all, the pilgrimage is all about leaving one place and going to another.

I am grateful to generations of Slovak Catholics for keeping their faith. However, the challenge lies in opening up a little more. Faith is also transmitted through openness.

One of the specific topics that Pope Francis discussed in Slovakia was homilies. He urged priests to keep them to a maximum of seven minutes. What are your thoughts on this?
Pope Francis has also mentioned this on several occasions outside of Slovakia. He was a great shepherd with experience of working in parishes and managing the diocese of Buenos Aires, which has a population of four or five million. He was very practical and had a strong sense of pastoral care.

Personally, I believe that the content is as important as the length. My homilies usually last between thirteen and fifteen minutes. Of course, it also depends on whether I have an interpreter or read in Slovak, as I did last time in Levoča.

However, I also try to avoid homilies that are too long and aim to convey two or three key points that believers can remember and take away.

The day after the pilgrimage to Levoča, we stopped to refuel. Two men approached me and said, ‘Here we are! Here we are!’ They were referring to the words I had repeated in the sermon. (Laughter.)

Photo: Attitude/Andrej Lojan

Returning to the fact that you are very sociable, some people suggest that this may be intentional, as it gives you a good overview of the church, which will be helpful when choosing new bishops.
As I mentioned, I visit parishes and communities voluntarily and gladly, to get to know people better and love them more. I also get to know priests better, of course. I would never have met some wonderful priests if I had stayed shut away in the nunciature.

You know what else I’m doing? Every time I visit a parish, I invite its members to visit us at the nunciature. Although only about fifty people can fit here, the pastoral council of the parish and some others will come, and we will talk. Two parishes are due to arrive this month, and two more in October.

This is also an opportunity for people to familiarise themselves with the nunciature, as many have no idea what it is. For example, we have the chair that Pope John Paul II used during his last visit to Slovakia in 2003.

So, you have intensive contact with ordinary priests?
I get to know priests better over lunch and dinner. It makes a difference; it’s as if I had a meeting with two hundred priests at once. I did the same in my previous roles – I still leave the door open.

The selection of bishops is a more complex question. However, yes, the better you know people, the more you see.

The topic of selecting bishops was also included in the final document of the Synod on Synodality. The idea of lay people playing a greater role in the selection process is also mentioned. But what might this look like in practice?
We follow the instructions given to us by the Holy See, and lay people are already involved in the selection process as much as possible. We are currently studying the conclusions of the synod, and we are awaiting the final provisions of the post-synodal documents.