Last year in Rostock, pilgrims were hosted mainly by Protestant churches. This year it is the opposite situation, with the Catholic Church being the largest Christian denomination in the country. Approximately 72% of the Slovenian population identify as Catholic. During the meeting in and around Ljubljana, pilgrims will be welcomed in Catholic host parishes. However, other denominations have an important role to play in the faith life of the city, such as Serbian Orthodox and Lutheran, which have churches located in Ljubljana.

It has been wonderful to get to know our Lutheran brothers and sisters in Slovenia. Less than 1% of the Slovenian population identifies as Lutheran. There is a church in Ljubljana but the majority are located in the East of the country. Every month, we have an evening prayer in this Lutheran church and during the European Meeting, some midday prayers will take place here.

In recent weeks the preparation team visited Murska Sobota twice - a town two hours away from Ljubljana, which today is the largest Lutheran parish in Slovenia and where the bishop of the Lutheran church resides. On Reformation day we celebrated the service together with a local pastor.

We thank the bishop for the opportunity to visit Murska Sobota and learn more about the diversity of Christianity and the beauty of different traditions here in Slovenia. Every visit we feel very welcomed and we are eager to continue our friendship with all church communities in Slovenia!