2023-04-29 19:31:00
Pope Francis’ visit to Hungary / Day 2
On the second day of his visit to Hungary, Pope Francis met with the poor, refugees and young people, among others.
About 600 refugees – mainly from Ukraine – as well as poor people took part in the meeting with the Pope on Saturday morning in Budapest’s Elisabeth Church near the Ostbahnhof. Another 1,000 believers were gathered in front of the church. The head of the Catholic Church recalled the commandment and the language of charity and mercy. He dedicated himself to people on the fringes of society and the marginalized.
Pope thanked for generosity
Pope Francis also acknowledged the commitment of the Catholic Church in Hungary to the needy. Especially with regard to the reception of refugees from Ukraine, he thanked their network – representatives of Caritas, Malteser and religious communities – for their generosity.
He also called for mercy towards all, but especially towards those marked by poverty, sickness and pain. He stressed the need to “show compassion for everyone.”
According to the Pope, a church is needed that speaks the language of charity fluently. “A universal language that everyone hears and understands, even those who are farthest away, as well as those who don’t believe.” Francis called on Hungarians to take charity into the Church and into their country.
Meeting with Russian Orthodox Archbishop
The head of the church walked from the Church of St. Elizabeth to the Greek Catholic Church of the Assumption, also on Rózsák tér, to meet the Greek Catholic community. Here he met Fülöp Kocsis, Archbishop of the Greek Catholic Archdiocese of Hajdúdorog and Metropolitan of the Hungarian Greek Catholic Church, and Russian Orthodox Archbishop Hilarion, head of the Diocese of Budapest and Hungary. The longtime foreign office head of the Moscow Patriarchate and the head of the Catholic Church spoke for about 20 minutes on Saturday afternoon at the Apostolic Nunciature in Budapest.
Before that, in the morning, he visited the “Blessed Laszlo Batthyany-Strattmann” institute for children with visual, physical or mental disabilities.
In the afternoon, Pope Francis continued his program with a meeting with young people. More than 11,000 young people from all over the Carpathian Basin awaited him in the Laszló Papp Sports Arena in Budapest. For him, young people are the future, but he stressed that they are God’s “now.” That is why he can successfully address young people worldwide.
Pope Francis in Hungary / Day 1
#Pope #Hungary #meeting #refugees