Pellegrini Left for Vatican for Private Audience with Pope Leo XIV

Bratislava, 3 December (TASR) - President Peter Pellegrini left on Wednesday evening for a working visit to the Vatican, during which he will be received in a private audience by Pope Leo XIV. The visit will take place with reference to the Jubilee Year 2025 with the slogan 'Pilgrims of Hope', which is running from Christmas 2024 to 6 January 2026. The pope will receive Pellegrini on Thursday (4 December). "As this will be a private audience between the head of state and the Holy Father, the president will be accompanied by his mother. All costs associated with her participation in the programme at the Vatican will be paid for by the president," said the President's Office's communications department. The Slovak head of state will also meet Secretary of State of the Holy See Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The president will also pay an official visit to the Sovereign Order of Malta - the first ever at the level of head of state in two decades. At the meeting with Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fra' John Dunlap, the two of them will discuss their common interest in developing humanitarian cooperation," added the communications department. The president's delegation will also attend the opening of an exhibition of indulgences with Slovak connections in Rome and the Vatican, combined with an Advent concert. On Friday (5 December), Pellegrini will ceremoniously unveil a mosaic of Our Lady of Sorrows in the Vatican Gardens. am