SLOVAKIA
Prague Post
Bratislava/Vatican, April 10 (ČTK) — The reception of former Slovak archbishop Róbert Bezák, the circumstances of whose dismissal three years ago are still unclear, by Pope Francis in a private audience today is an important shift in the case, Slovak church analyst Imrich Gazda has said.
The information about the reception was carried by the Vatican press center and the Vatican Insider server. They did not say what the Pope and Bezák spoke about.
The popular priest Bezák was dismissed as archbishop of Trnava by Pope Francis’s predecessor, Benedict XVI in 2012. The church allegedly criticized the presence of homosexual priests in his surroundings and his stance on certain church issues.
The Vatican also allegedly had objections to Bezák often wearing civilian clothing, saying this discredited the church attire. However, no official reasons for Bezák’s dismissal were given.
Slovak President Andrej Kiska also spoke about Bezák with Pope Francis during his first visit to the Vatican on Thursday.
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