#AllforJan: Slovakia mourns a young Catholic journalist

After Laetare Sunday Mass, a fellow parishioner asked me: “Have you heard of the protests in Slovakia? They are the largest since the fall of Communism! 50,000 people marched in the streets of Slovakia on Friday, and 25,000 on March 2, not to mention even more people gathering in cities across Europe. A 27-year-old investigative journalist was killed, along with his fiancée, because he had uncovered links between the Italian mafia and the government.”

#AllForJan, #FicoToJail. Some 30,000 people took to the streets in #Bratislava in a peaceful protest against the Fico government. If confirmed, it would be the highest number since the 1989 anti-communist demonstrations. pic.twitter.com/9ABvbuIlHU

— Dariusz Kalan (@Dariusz_Kalan) March 9, 2018

“We do not want a coup d’etat or Maidan! We only want a state that works and is here for the citizens.” – message that echoed across #Slovakia on 9 March 2018 #MartinaKusnirova #JanKuciak #Allforjan #zaslusneslovensko pic.twitter.com/53FtaRGlEC

— Vladimír Bilčík (@VladoBilcik) March 10, 2018

Ján Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová were found fatally shot in their new home on February 25, 2018. They were to be married in May.

A funeral Mass was held for the young couple at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Štiavnik, north-western Slovakia, attended by his parents, friends and fellow journalists. Kuciak’s sister Mária Kuciaková said, “Our whole family got a bullet to the heart.”

Former Archbishop of Trnava Monsignor Róbert Bezák C.SS.R. stated: “The murder of a person should not be lost in time. It would be a sign that we are morally broken and that we don’t care at all. But we do care. Janko and Martinka will always remain in our hearts.”

Archbishop Stanislav Zvolenský of Slovakia’s capital Bratislava, who celebrated the funeral Mass, observed: “If the murderer wanted to silence Jan, he managed quite the opposite. Believe that evil won’t win — even if it might seem so now.”

Slovakia is the third most Catholic Slavic country, after Poland and Croatia, with 62% of the populace being Roman Catholic, and 4% Byzantine Catholic. Trnava is known as “parva Roma”, that is, “little Rome”. The first Slovak in Australia was a Jesuit missionary who arrived in 1888. The first recorded Slovak immigrant in the USA was also a missionary, albeit Mennonite.

My fellow parishioner said, “Slovakians are hardworking people, but because of government corruption, they work hard for very little. It is sad to see how living conditions in Slovakia haven’t improved much since the fall of Communism.”

Kuciak’s last, unfinished story also reveals how Italian businessmen with mafia links have been siphoning off European Union funds meant for the development of eastern Slovakia.

A memorial website, https://www.allforjan.com/, has been created for people to express their sorrow and their gratitude for Kuciak’s work uncovering the criminals manipulating Slovakia’s government. On Twitter, the hashtag #AllforJan has been trending, displaying photographs of the crowds who came out in the bitter cold in honor of this young man’s life and death. His fellow journalists have refused to be cowed by his murder, vowing to continue his work.

#Slovakia #Bratislava protests against #Corruption at the top political level, thousands present #AllForJan #JanKuciak(Foto @dennikN TB) pic.twitter.com/Pl6gDdMmPQ

— Lucia Yar (@Lucia_Yar) March 9, 2018

First of the marches #AllForJan in Bratislava is over. Thousands of people joined in 50 other places. As one of the speakers said, today Bratislava was the capital of #mediafreedom The work of #JanKuciak will continue. It is the duty of all democracy and freedom loving people. pic.twitter.com/e6A7umMdLw

— Martin Poliačik (@MartinPoliacik) March 2, 2018

Jan Kuciak is dead but his last words have not yet been spoken. We will continue Jan’s investigative work. Jan Kuciak is dead, but the truth is not. We will find it and let the world know. If you want to contribute then redistribute. #AllForJan pic.twitter.com/YpkKhb4uK6

— Mark Dekan (@mark_dekan) March 2, 2018

#allforjan here in Bratislava today pic.twitter.com/1yF57nlGZm

— oliver rehak (@oliveRehak) March 2, 2018

Two politicians, Viliam Jasaň and Mária Trošková, have taken a leave of absence, and the Minister of Culture, Marek Maďarič, has resigned from his post.

Pope Francis last year publicly acknowledged Italian victims of the mafia, in particular three assassinated judges. He created a new category for sainthood which allows the canonization of those who freely give up their lives for others.

May the terrible sacrifice of Ján Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová be the catalyst for real change in their country, freeing it from the grip of organized crime. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.