MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Thursday, September 16, 2021 - 9.00 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Wednesday, September 14): NEW POSITIVE PCR TESTS: 760 Positive PCR tests in total: 399,978 NEW POSITIVE ANTIGEN TESTS: 186 Positive antigen tests in total: 387,060 NEW DEATHS: 4 Deaths in total: 12,566 SASTIN - Our Lady is a model of faith for the Slovak nation, of a walking pilgrim on her way, without remaining static, said Pope Francis in his sermon at the national pilgrimage to Our Lady of Sorrows, the patron saint of Slovakia, in Sastin (Trnava region) on Wednesday. Today's Slovakia needs prophets who would show by their lives the beauty of the Gospel and promote dialogue, stated the pope. Faith should be neither sugary, nor quarrelsome; it should bring forth an alternative to both, which is goodness, he said. The pope also called for a compassionate faith that displays solidarity with those in need. BRATISLAVA - Pope Francis departed from Bratislava Airport to Rome on Wednesday afternoon, wrapping up his four-day visit to Slovakia after completing his main Mass in Sastin in the far west of the country shortly before noon. The pope met the country's top officials, including President Zuzana Caputova, Parliamentary Chairman Boris Kollar and Eduard Heger, who also saw him off at the airport. BRATISLAVA - President Zuzana Caputova's father, Stefan Strapak, died on Wednesday after a lengthy and serious illness, the Presidential Office announced on the same day. "With deep sorrow, the Presidential Office announces that President Zuzana Caputova's father, Mr. Stefan Strapak, died today at home in peace at the age of 79," stated the office. BRATISLAVA - Ivan Varga, a founding figure of opposition party Smer-SD and a former MP, died on Tuesday, Smer-SD and party chairman Robert Fico, a former prime minister, reported on their Facebook profiles on Wednesday. "He was a social democrat by conviction, and as far as his health allowed, he was unusually active, both in Parliament and in activities within the party," stated Smer-SD. Varga served as an MP between 2002-16. zel