Monday the 18th of May marks 100 years since the birth of Karol Wojtyla, later much more widely known as Pope John Paul II, the first-ever Polish pope. This particular pope - who is widely remembered for his opposition to Soviet communism in Eastern Europe and his influence on its demise - had a strong connection with Slovakia, which neighbours his native Poland, and visited the country three times during his pontificate. On this occasion we speak with several Slovaks connected with these visits who recall the profound effect he had on Slovakia and its Christians. Not many young scientists have the good fortune to begin their career at the prestigious research centre CERN, in Switzerland, but Robert Astaloš is one of them. He speaks with our colleague Petra Zemanova about this unique organisation and the research he's involved in there.