VIDEO - Pope Francis Meets with Prime Minister of Slovakia, Eduard Heger - They Discuss the War in Ukraine and Acceptance of Refugees
Vatican News reports that the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Eduard Heger, met Monday with Pope Francis. A statement from the Holy See Press Office indicated that the two leaders recalled the Pope’s Apostolic Journey to Slovakia in September 2021.
During the cordial discussions in the Secretariat of State, after recalling the Apostolic Journey in Slovakia last September, appreciation was expressed for the good bilateral relations and the role of the Church in society. The talks continued with an in-depth discussion of the war in Ukraine and its impact at regional and international level, with particular attention to the humanitarian situation and the reception of war refugees.
The Slovak Prime Minster then met separately with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.
The Slovak Prime Minister said he had come to Rome to meet Pope Francis to thank him for his three-day Journey to Slovakia last September.
Mr. Heger said he would speak with the Pope about the war in Ukraine, which has forced over 2.6 million people to flee the country.
Around 200,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered Slovakia since Russia invaded its neighbor on the 24th of February, 2022.
Mr. Heger said the number of arrivals per day are currently hovering around 10-12 thousand, but he added that he expects the number to surge in coming days as the Russian assault intensifies.
So, he said, Slovakia has plans in the works to increase its capacity to welcome Ukrainians fleeing the horrors of war.
(Edited from Vatican News and Vatican.va) https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2022/03/14/0175/00371.html
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