The pope’s message on the meaning of the cross resonated with the Greek Catholic community, whose members suffered harsh persecution and were prohibited to exist under Czechoslovakia’s Communist rule from 1948 to 1989.

On his second day in Bratislava, Pope Francis called Slovakia “to be a message of peace in the heart of Europe” and the church to evangelize with “freedom, creativity, and dialogue.”

Pope Francis called on this majority Christian nation to stop closing in on itself and to open its arms and hearts to peoples of other ethnic backgrounds, religions and cultures.

It will be a demanding trip health-wise for the 84-year-old pontiff coming just two months after his colon operation on July 4.

The 9/11 attack not only changed world history but also impacted the future of the Catholic Church.

“I don’t know where they got it from last week that I was going to resign.... It didn’t even cross my mind,” Pope Francis said in the first interview since his July 4 operation.