2023-05-03 09:57:22
The Pope began his catechesis by addressing a word of thanks to all those who had prepared for the visit and those who accompanied him during it through prayer, and expressed his gratitude to the local authorities, the Church and the courageous and memory-rich Hungarian people. He said he would like to talk regarding this visit using the images of roots and bridges.
After that, Francis confirmed that he went as a pilgrim among a people whose history was marked by many saints and heroes, who were surrounded by humble and hardworking people, as the late Pope John Paul II said regarding them during his visit to the country in 1996. Francis pointed out that he saw a simple and hardworking people who proudly preserve their roots. Among these roots are the saints, as shown by the testimonies during the two meetings with the local church and with the youth. They are saints who gave their lives for the people, saints who testified to the gospel of love and were a light in dark times, saints from the past urging us today to overcome the danger of resignation and fear of tomorrow, reminding us that Christ is our future.
The Supreme Pontiff added that the solid Christian roots of the Hungarian people were tested and their faith was tested by fire. During the atheist persecutions of the twentieth century, many bishops, priests, monks, and laity were killed or arrested. In the face of the attempt to cut down the tree of faith, the roots remained the same. A church remained hidden but alive and strong thanks to the power of the gospel. Francis emphasized that communist repression in Hungary was preceded by Nazi repression, with the tragic deportation of many members of the Jewish community. In the midst of these genocides, many were distinguished by resistance and the ability to protect the victims, and this is what happened because the roots of coexistence were solid. He pointed out that there is a Hungarian poet in Rome called Edith Brooke, who celebrates her ninety-second birthday today, explaining that she went through all these experiences, and today she talks to young people regarding the need to fight for the example so that they are not overcome by persecution and frustration.
The Pope continued his weekly teaching, saying that freedom is also threatened today, through consumerism that numbing man, as he suffices with some material prosperity and forgets the past, and lives in a present made to measure the individual. But these roots suffocate when it comes to self-concern alone. This problem concerns the whole of Europe, where crises beset the self-dedication to others, the feeling that we are a group, and the beauty of dreaming together and establishing large families. In this context, the Pope stressed the need to reflect on the importance of preserving the roots, because diving deep enables the branches to grow and bear fruit. We must ask what are the most important roots in life? Do we remember them and take care of them?
Then the supreme pontiff stopped at the second image, which is the bridges. He said that Budapest, which was born a hundred and fifty years ago thanks to the union of three cities, is famous for the bridges that cross it and bring it together. He added that he had reminded – in his address to the civil authorities – of the need to seek to build bridges of peace between different peoples. This is the call of Europe in particular, which should contain differences and host those who knock at its door. Francis praised the humanitarian bridge that was built to allow the crossing of many displaced people from neighboring Ukraine, pointing out that he was able to meet some of these displaced people, and he admired the network of charity and charity established by the Hungarian Church.
The Pope went on to say that Hungary is committed to building bridges for tomorrow. They are very interested in ecological issues and a sustainable future, and work is being done to build bridges between generations, between the elderly and the young, and this is a basic challenge for all. There are bridges that the Church must build towards today’s man, because the proclamation of Christ cannot be limited to repeating the events of the past, as it must always happen, in order to help the men and women of our time to rediscover Jesus. The Pope reminded here of the Mass he presided over last Sunday and witnessed great participation, and said that he thinks of the beauty of building bridges between believers. He drew attention to the presence of Christians of different rites, denominations and countries, who cooperate with each other in Hungary and build bridges of harmony and unity.
At the end of his public audience with the faithful, the Pope recalled, at the beginning of May, that Hungarians are very devoted to the Most Holy Theotokos. They devoted themselves to her, starting with their first king, St. Stephen, and they used to invoke her using the expression “Queen”. Francis said: To the Queen of Hungary, we entrust this dear country, to the Queen of Peace we entrust building bridges in the world, to the Queen of Heaven, to whom we invoke in this Easter time, we entrust our hearts to be rooted in the love of God.
In his greetings to the delegations of pilgrims and the faithful at the end of the General Audience, the Pope begged the Virgin Mary for an end to the violence committed in Ukraine, and also asked her to intercede with Europe to preserve faith, unity, harmonious cooperation and above all peace, especially in nearby Ukraine.
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