2023-04-29 12:15:00
April 29, 2023 / 5:15 a.m.
After meeting the poor and refugees on his second day of his apostolic trip to Hungary, Pope Francis has joined the Greek-Catholic community in Hungary to pray for peace.
The Holy Father was received by the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Eparchy of Hajdúdorog for Catholics of the Byzantine rite, Msgr. Fulöp Kocsis, in the Church dedicated to the Protection of the Mother of God in Budapest.
Bishop Kocsis recalled the image inspired by Saint John Paul II that “the Church of Christ breathes with two lungs, the spirit of the East and the spirit of the West, which together make the Mystical Body live.”
The Prelate underlined that for Greek-Catholics “membership of the Catholic Church is especially important”, since this dual membership has caused much suffering.
“Our martyrs died not only for their Christian faith, but above all for their loyalty to the Catholic Church: instead of submitting to the dictates of communist violence, they remained faithful to the Catholic Church and died for it,” he recalled.
For this reason, it has claimed its role as “a bridge between the two sister Churches, since, in a certain sense, we belong to both”.
Bishop Kocsis stressed that with the Pope’s visit, “we have the firm confirmation that we are equal members of the Catholic family and we promise to commit ourselves to bringing a message of unity and fraternity to all”.
The Greek Catholic Church has presented Pope Francis with a “chotk o komboskini”, the rosary of the Eastern Church, woven by young Greek Catholics.
The Pope has been close to the children who have given him this gift, to whom he has greeted and smiled as he handed out a Latin rosary to each one.
Next, the Great Litany of Peace followed, according to the Greek-Catholic rite, to which the Holy Father joined.
At the end, he has been covered with a stole and has blessed those present with a cross that he has kissed.
Leaving the Greek-Catholic temple, the Holy Father took a few moments to greet the people gathered at the doors of the temple, moving again in a wheelchair.
Upon his arrival at the Nunciature, Pope Francis had a cordial meeting with the Metropolitan Archbishop of Budapest and Hungary, Hilarion, who was for many years the right-hand man of the Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill.
UPDATE: Apr 29, 2023 13:59 GMT+2
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