Pope arrives in Budapest, "central place of history".Pope Francis in Hungary: "Christ guides history".During the general audience on Wednesday, May 3, Pope Francis spoke about his apostolic journey to Hungarywhich ended last Sunday. For this, he has used two images: roots and bridges.
Francis pointed out that he went to Hungary "as a pilgrim to a people whose history - as he said - is a story of the past. St. John Paul II - has been marked by "many saints and heroes, surrounded by multitudes of humble and hard-working people"".
Roots
Among the roots of the Hungarian people, "there are above all the saints: saints who have given their lives for the people, saints who have witnessed to the Gospel of love, saints who have been light in moments of darkness; many saints of the past who today exhort us to overcome the risk of defeatism and the fear of tomorrow, remembering that Christ is our future".
The country's Christians were put to the test many times, "but while attempts were made to cut down the tree of faith, the roots remained intact: a hidden Church remained strong, with many clergy secretly ordained, who witnessed to the Gospel by working in the factories, while grandmothers evangelized in secret". In spite of everything, the Pope affirmed, "the common bonds of faith and people helped the return of freedom".
Loss of freedom
Today, however, freedom is threatened once again. "Especially with the white gloves of a consumerism that anesthetizes, so that we are satisfied with a little material well-being and, forgetting the past, we float in a present made on the scale of the individual. But when the only thing that counts is to think of oneself and to do what one wants, the roots are drowned."
Francis pointed out that this problem is not found only in Hungary, but "it has to do with the whole of Europe, where dedicating oneself to others, feeling community, the beauty of dreaming together and creating large families is in crisis."
For this reason, the Pope invited the audience to reflect "on the importance of taking care of the roots, because only by deepening the branches will they grow upwards and bear fruit. Let us ask ourselves: What are the most important roots of my life, do I remember them, do I take care of them?
The bridges
As for the second image mentioned at the beginning by the Holy Father, Francis recalled the bridges that cross the city of Budapest. This led the Pope to point out that Hungary is a country that "is very committed to building "bridges for tomorrow": its attention to ecological care and to a sustainable future is great, and it is working to build bridges between generations, between the elderly and the young, a challenge that cannot be renounced today by all".
For its part, the Church must also build bridges "because the proclamation of Christ cannot consist only in the repetition of the past", but always needs to be updated. Therefore, "let us ask ourselves: am I, in my family, in my parish, in my community, in my country, a builder of bridges, of harmony and unity?
The Pope and Hungarian culture
Francis noted that he was moved during his visit "by the importance of music, which is a characteristic feature of Hungarian culture. Everywhere there was music: organ, piano, violin, many instruments, and a lot of singing. The young people with disabilities sang "Long Live Music!", and this meant: long live harmony, long live fraternity, which gives hope and joy to life!".
Finally, the Pope wished to address the Virgin Mary, alluding also to the beginning of the month of May: "To the Queen of Hungary we entrust this beloved country, to the Queen of peace we entrust the building of bridges in the world, to the Queen of Heaven, whom we acclaim in this Easter season, we entrust our hearts so that they may be rooted in the love of God".
