Pope Francis received Slovak President Andrej Kiska on December 14.
The president presented the pope with a gift from Slovakia: four Christmas tree baubles made by people from disadvantaged social groups in Slovakia.
President Kiska to meet with Pope Francis Read more When receiving the baubles, the pope told Kiska that he will have them hung on the Christmas tree in Saint Martha’s House, where he will be serving mass until Christmas, the TASR newswire reported.
At the same time, Kiska invited Pope Francis to Slovakia. The pope was pleased to receive the invitation but immediately added that he has a busy programme.
When saying goodbye in the Vatican, Pope Francis asked Kiska for a favour. He gave him two gifts: one for his father and the other for the former Trnava archbishop Róbert Bezák, the Denník N daily reported.
Kiska was surprised by the latter gift. No official report, either from the President’s Office or from the Vatican, mentions the gift.
The information has however been confirmed by the president’s spokesperson Roman Krpelan. He stressed that the president is happy to deliver the gift to Bezák, who is still popular among Slovaks.
Bezák receives medal
Kiska met with Bezák on December 17 to deliver a gift from the pope.
Pope Francis sent the former archbishop a gold-plated medal of the Madonna with Baby Jesus, the Sme daily wrote.
