Pope Francis spoke about the "numerous value" of Hungarians during the informal conversation with the journalists accompanying him on the flight back from Slovakia to the Vatican, during which he reported on the meetings in Budapest, emphasized the importance of vaccination, and touched on the church's position on gay marriage.
In response to the first question, which related to the Sunday closing mass of the International Eucharistic Congress, Pope Francis explained that he was touched by the deep ecumenical spirituality of the Hungarians. He called it a misunderstanding that some people criticized the brevity of the visit to Budapest.
"It was not well understood why the Pope only goes to the closing mass and why he does not pay a longer visit to the Hungarians; there were those who thought the wrong thing, but I explained that the trip to Slovakia had already been organized before," explained Pope Francis. He added that he met János Áder for the third time and did not rule out the possibility of a future visit to Hungary. "I promised the head of state that I would see if I could go (to Hungary) again next year or another year," he said. He recalled that in 2019 he presented a mass in Csíksomlyó, which he called very beautiful.
In response to a question from a reporter from the Spanish newspaper El País, he said that during the meeting with the head of state and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, environmental protection was a priority. "I raise my hat to the ecological awareness of Hungarians," he said. He added that they also talked in detail about Hungarian family protection measures, which help to have children. He noted that he saw a lot of young couples and children in Budapest and in the places of his visit to Slovakia, while the demographic winter in the western countries of Europe is causing concern. He emphasized that migration was not discussed during the 40-minute conversation, which, in his opinion, was "quite long" and "in a good mood".
Speaking about the European Union, he stated that it cannot consist of meetings, cannot be a "case management office", but must return to the spirit and dreams of the founding fathers. "It is true that some, perhaps non-European, interests want to use the European Union for ideological colonization (..), however, the European Union must be independent and all member states must be equal," he noted.
In response to the question that the obligation to vaccinate divides both church members and the faithful, the Pope stated that vaccinations belong to the history of mankind. He noted that there are also virus deniers in the cardinal's body, "but, by the irony of fate, one of them was also hospitalized," he added. He said, except for a small group, everyone in the Vatican is vaccinated.
He spoke about abortion, stating that the church's position is so "tough, because if it accepted (abortion), it would be like saying yes to everyday murder." "Is it legitimate to end a human life as a solution to a problem, is it legitimate to hire a murderer as a solution to a problem?" the pope asked back.
The archbishop was asked by journalists whether US President Joe Biden and other politicians should be denied communion because of their stance on abortion. U.S. bishops have agreed to draft a guidance document that many hope will rebuke Catholic politicians, including Biden, for making sacrifices despite supporting abortion rights.
It is much more important that priests and bishops should deal with any problem that comes their way from a pastoral, not a political, perspective. As he said, they must accompany the faithful "in God's style", with "intimacy, compassion and tenderness".
"And what should the pastor do? To be a shepherd, not to condemn," added the Pope.
An Italian news channel handed the pope a letter written by Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor Edith Bruck during her visit to Budapest and Slovakia, in which the writer, whom Pope Francis visited personally in February, thanked the head of the church for speaking out against anti-Semitism in several speeches during his trip. "Anti-Semitism has become fashionable and revived," warned Pope Francis.
Regarding the European Parliament's adopted position on the rights of LGBTQI people, the head of the church stated that it is the duty of the states to help gay couples live together with laws and to protect their rights, since "we are talking about our brothers and sisters". He added that this has "nothing to do" with the sanctity of marriage, which the Church teaches is between a man and a woman. "Everyone must be respected, but please do not want the church to deny its own truth," Pope Francis declared.
Source: magyarhirlap.hu / vasarnap.hu
Featured image: HEOL
