{"id":72775,"date":"2026-01-01T06:04:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T06:04:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/?p=72775"},"modified":"2026-01-01T06:04:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T06:04:52","slug":"christmas-reversed-in-slovakia-why-the-homeless-gave-this-archbishop-a-gift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/zh\/learn\/christmas-reversed-in-slovakia-why-the-homeless-gave-this-archbishop-a-gift\/","title":{"rendered":"\u65af\u6d1b\u4f10\u514b\u7684\u5723\u8bde\u53cd\u8f6c\uff1a\u4e3a\u4ec0\u4e48\u65e0\u5bb6\u53ef\u5f52\u8005\u7ed9\u8fd9\u4f4d\u5927\u4e3b\u6559\u9001\u4e86\u4e00\u4efd\u793c\u7269"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n Archbishop Bernard Bober of Ko\u0161ice celebrates Mass with homeless and people in need at the Archdiocesan Charity in Ko\u0161ice, Slovakia, during a traditional Christmas gathering in December 2025. \/ Credit: Archdiocesan Charity of Ko\u0161ice<\/span>\n<\/div>\n

EWTN News, Dec 24, 2025 \/ 17:00 pm (CNA).<\/p>\n

Archbishop Bernard Bober of Ko\u0161ice, Slovakia, found a special gift under the Christmas tree. It was a new \u201ccathedra,\u201d a wooden bench prepared by homeless people in a charity workshop. Benches are also associated with people living on the margins of society.<\/p>\n

The traditional Christmas gathering began with a Mass inside one of the buildings of the Archdiocesan Charity in Ko\u0161ice, the second-largest city in Slovakia. After the Mass, the prelate, who also serves as president of the Slovak Bishops\u2019 Conference, joined those in need for goulash and other seasonal meals.<\/p>\n

\u201cChristmas is not just about the Nativity scene,\u201d Bober said, but mainly about people \u2014 getting together, acceptance, and mutual closeness.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is precisely people who have a difficult fate\u2026 who need to feel at this time that they are not alone, that they are accepted, and that they have their place among us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"The
The wooden bench presented to Archbishop Bernard Bober in December 2025. Credit: Archdiocesan Charity of Ko\u0161ice<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Such gatherings have a strong human dimension and help release tension, build trust, and enter the new year with hope, according to a press release the Archdiocesan Charity sent to CNA. <\/p>\n

The bench was made in a charity workshop where those in need gain and improve manual skills, helping them enter the job market. Besides the bench, they gave the archbishop flowers, handmade decorations, ikebana, and soap. The gifts were also given to mark his recent 75th birthday on Nov. 3. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not want these holidays to be just a nice tradition, but a call to responsibility, too,\u201d the Archdiocesan Charity of Ko\u0161ice said. The organization invites public officials to such events so they can see the reality facing the homeless and \u201cfeel greater sensitivity when deciding on solutions that can ensure a more dignified life for them.\u201d <\/p>\n

The birthday celebration was another gift for Bober, who reached canonical retirement age. In early November, his birthday coincided with a local Jubilee of Young People in Ko\u0161ice. In front of the Cathedral of St. Elizabeth, approximately 25,000 people greeted the prelate and enjoyed a concert by the Godzone<\/a> evangelization band and a party led by Portuguese priest and DJ Father Guilherme Peixoto. <\/p>\n

Pope Leo XIV sent a video message<\/a> to the participants, calling them to be \u201cwitnesses of communion, builders of bridges, and sowers of trust in a world often marked by division and suspicion.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cJesus calls you\u2026 to live the Gospel with enthusiasm and to share the joy that springs from encountering the Lord,\u201d the pope said. \u201cBring the light of Christ into your families, schools, universities, workplaces, and communities.\u201d <\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/268627\/christmas-reversed-in-slovakia-why-homeless-people-gave-metropolitan-archbishop-bernard-bober-a-wooden-bench<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Archbishop Bernard Bober of Ko\u0161ice celebrates Mass with homeless and people in need at the Archdiocesan Charity in Ko\u0161ice, Slovakia, during a traditional Christmas gathering in December 2025. \/ Credit: Archdiocesan Charity of Ko\u0161ice EWTN News, Dec 24, 2025 \/ 17:00 pm (CNA). Archbishop Bernard Bober of Ko\u0161ice, Slovakia, found a special gift under the [\u2026]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":73470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[100],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-72775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christian-news"],"mb":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Christmas-reversed-in-Slovakia-Why-the-homeless-gave-this-archbishop-a-gift.webp?fit=800%2C533&quality=75&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":70320,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/zh\/learn\/fact-check-did-pope-leo-host-a-rave-last-week-in-slovakia\/","url_meta":{"origin":72775,"position":0},"title":"Fact check: Did Pope Leo host a rave last week in Slovakia?","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"5 2 \u6708, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful in Piazza della Libert\u00e0 in August 2025. \/ Credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp\/Shutterstock CNA Staff, Nov 25, 2025 \/ 13:18 pm (CNA). 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