The XVI. NAPS International Ecumenical Concert 2024
NAPS Institute celebrated its 20th anniversary with an event within the current Presidency of Hungary in the Council of the European union.
The charitable and non-commercial event, which connects and deepens the dialogue between peoples and religions through art, has already been supported by many domestic and foreign personalities in its history.
The ecumenical concert, which is traditionally held under the auspices of the hierarchs of the five largest Christian churches and the Jewish religious community in Slovakia, took place this year in the beautiful premises of the Slovak Philharmony in Bratislava on Saturday, October 26, 2024, under the joint auspices of the Deputy Prime Ministers of Hungary and the Slovak Republic, Tomáš Taraba and Zsolts Semjén.
In his speech at the beginning of the concert, Deputy Prime Minister Taraba praised the importance of Christian and ecumenical values in Slovak society and the thousand-year shared history with our southern neighbor. Good neighborly relations and their potential for the future were also underlined by Miklós Soltész, State Secretary of the Government of Hungary for Churches, Minorities and Civil Affairs, who attended the concert on behalf of Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén. The message of the international event was also appreciated by Archbishop Nicola Girasoli, Apostolic Nuncio to Slovakia, who interpreted the greeting from Pope Francis to those present.
„In today’s difficult times, which are marked by bad interpersonal relations and painful war conflicts, the mission of the event seems more than current,“ said the founder and director of the NAPS Institute, Peter Solej, during the concert, and at the same time briefly evaluated 20 years of non-commercial activities of the Slovak institute.
Several leading Slovak artists performed at the event. Among them, the Lúčnica choir, Children’s and Girl’s Choir of the Slovak Televison and Radio, but also opera soloists: Hungarian soprano Luca Balogh, Marianna Prievozníková Geleneky and Ondrej Mráz.
Eastern Christian songs were offered by the Cantica Instropolitana choir, but also by the charismatic singer Štefan Štec, who honored all those who had to leave their homeland because of the war with a unique Ruthenian song.
More than 500 guests heard Jewish songs performed by the unique Pressburger Klezmer Band. The entire ecumenical evening in Reduta was accompanied by the Slovak symphony orchestra under the baton of leading Slovak conductor Adrian Kokoš.
More than 150 artists performed songs in Slovak, Hungarian, Latin, Old Slavic, German, Ruthenian and Hebrew languages. The moderator of the ecumenical concert was Karin Majtánová. The mission of the concert was also appreciated in his letter by the Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, Archbishop Rastislav. The Minister of Health of the Slovak Republic Kamil Šaško and diplomats of twelve countries personally participated in the event. The end of the concert traditionally belonged to the blessing of the hierarchs of the Christian churches and the prayer of the rabbi of the Jewish religious community.
Event was under the Spiritual patronage of:
His Excellency Monsignor Bernard Bober,
Roman Catholic Archbishop and Metropolitan of Košice,
President of the Slovak Bishops´ Conference,
The Reverend Mr. Ivan Eľko,
General Bishop of the Evangelical Church of Augsburg Confession
and President of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Slovakia,
His Eminence The Most Reverend Jonáš Maxim,
Archbishop of Prešov and Metropolitan
of the Greek Catholic Church in Slovakia,
The Very Reverend Mr. Róbert Géreši,
Bishop of the reformed Christian Church in Slovakia,
His Beatitude The Most Blessed Rastislav,
Orthodox Archbishop of Prešov
and Metropolitan of the Czech Lands and Slovakia,
The Esteemed Mr. Richard Duda,
President of the Central Union
of the Jewish Religious Communities in Slovakia.
Partners and sponsors of the Concert in 2024 were:
Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic,
MIRCOCOMP company,
Honorary Consulate of Hungary in Nitra,
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