The final farewell for the late Slovak Cardinal Jozef Tomko started in the Vatican at 11 a.m. on Thursday. A requiem mass in Latin and Italian was celebrated by Tomko's long-term friend, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. After the mass, Pope Francis lead the prayers at the farewell ceremony. The ceremony in the Vatican was also attended by Slovak bishops. The Slovak delegation in Rome is led by Archbishop of Bratislava Stanislav Zvolensky and Kosice Metropolitan Archbishop Bernard Bober. Following the final farewell in Rome, the cardinal's remains will be transported by plane to Bratislava. They will be displayed for public veneration in St. Martin's Cathedral in the Slovak capital on Friday and Saturday (August 12 and 13) and in St. Elizabeth's Cathedral in Kosice on Sunday and Monday (August 14 and 15). A holy mass including the funeral will take place on Tuesday (August 16). The mass will be led by Czech Archbishop emeritus, Cardinal Dominik Duka. Cardinal emeritus Jozef Tomko, who was the oldest member of the College of Cardinals and the only Slovak cardinal, died in Rome on August 8 at the age of 98.
Source: TASR
