16. October 2019
NAPS celebrated its 15th anniversary by audience with Pope
Members of the Board of the NAPS Institute, Mr. Peter and Mrs. Lenka Solej, attended this week’s General Audience granted Pope Francis, which was held at the St. Peter´s Square in the Vatican. At the end of the audience, they personally met the Pope and thanked in a short interview for 15 years of service through the work and activities of the NAPS Institute.
„We thanked the Holy Father for God’s blessing, thanks to which the NAPS Institute – Our Activities for Slovakia has been carrying out non-commercial apolitical activities in Slovakia for fifteen years,“ said Peter Solej, founder and director of the NAPS Institute. „The Holy Father presented us his solideo (the white papal cap he wears on his head) and very willingly bestowed his apostolic blessing on the next years of NAPS activity,“ added Solej, who together with his wife met with Pope Francis six times already.
The NAPS Institute was founded by Peter Solej fifteen years ago, at that time as the youngest author of a professional book in Slovakia and abroad. The non-profit organization, based in Marianka, carries out its activities in the field of ecumenism, education and culture. In the past, the activities of the civic association took place in several Slovak towns. In 2012, NAPS became the first partner of the Al Liqaa International Dialogue Center established my Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate in Beirut with the assistance of the Sultan of Oman. All previous events of the Institute were carried out without admission fees, respectively. for a voluntary donation, the proceeds of which went to charity. The honorary member of NAPS is also the Slovak Former President Rudolf Schuster. The most important and regular activity of NAPS is the International Ecumenical Concert, whose aim is to art to bring together and deepen dialogue and tolerance between nations and religions.