Slovenia observed a day of mourning on 8 April, the day of the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
A three-minute silence was observed at 10 AM, when church bells around the country started ringing for 15 minutes. Attending the funeral in the Vatican were President Janez Drnovsek, PM Janez Jansa, FM and OSCE chairman Dimitrij Rupel, and Environment Minister Janez Podobnik. The delegation of Church dignitaries included Ljubljana Archbishop and Slovenian Metropolitan Alojz Uran, Maribor Bishop Franc Kramberger and Koper Bishop Metod Pirih. A requiem mass was held for the Pope on 6 April in Ljubljana, presided by Apostolic Nuncio to Slovenia Santos Abril y Castello. Archbishop Alojz Uran said on the occasion he was grateful for everything Pope John Paul II did for Slovenia. Slovenia will always be grateful to the Pope for his great affection and support at the time when it was gaining independence and seeking international recognition, the prime minister's office said at Pope's death on 2 April. Minister Rupel, too, said that by recognising Slovenia in 1992, the Vatican morally motivated other countries and institutions to recognise the country. Pope John Paul II visited Slovenia twice during his papacy, in May 1996 when he made stops in all three Slovenian diocese and in September 1999 when he beatified Bishop Anton Martin Slomsek (1800-1862), the first Slovenian ever to be beatified.
More articles from this issue:
Archive
|