The Holy Father spoke about the tasks ahead the Hungarian Catholic Church and Europe, he said.
Cardinal Erdő, the archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, expressed thanks to the pope for the September 12 visit and his celebration of the closing mass of the congress.

While in Budapest, Pope Francis met President János Áder, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, members of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and representatives of the ecumenical churches and the Jewish community.

Pope Francis once again emphasised the positive experience he gained in Hungary and the cordial talks he had with Hungary’s leaders. He also stressed the importance of returning to the original values of the founders of the European Union, Németh said.

Pope Francis highlighted his meeting with the Hungarian state leaders as a major event of his recent visit to Budapest, and spoke in high terms about the Hungarian faithful, Erdő told MTI after the audience. The cardinal cited the pope as saying that his talks with the Hungarian leaders on September 12 were “very cordial and positive”.

Pope Francis spoke in terms of recognition about the Hungarian faithful who he said had managed to keep Jesus Christ in the centre even amidst the turns of history, Erdő said.

Hungarian Pilgrims' Hostel Inaugurated in Rome

Saint Stephen House, a Hungarian pilgrims’ hostel, was inaugurated in Rome on Saturday evening.
The consecration ceremony was addressed by Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, and Miklós Soltész, Hungarian state secretary for church and minority relations.

The event was attended by Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary of State for Relations with States within the Holy See, who accompanied Pope Francis during his recent visits to Hungary and Slovakia.

Gallagher was unwilling to speak about the details of the visit but said that “it turned out that Budapest is not located so far from the Vatican”. He added that after the International Eucharistic Congress and the papal visit more pilgrims would be expected to come in Rome.

Bishop András Veres, president of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops Conference, told MTI that the closing mass of the congress celebrated by the Holy Father “had given a kind of programme to the Hungarian church”.

He stressed the need to maintain and further the enthusiasm shown by the masses of people who attended the papal mass.


MTI Photo: Zoltán Máthé