Pope Francis has appointed Balázs Martos Levente, rector of the Central Priest Education Institute, as assistant bishop of the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest. The new bishop was consecrated in the St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest by Cardinal Péter Erdő, Primate, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest on March 4. The co-consecrators were Michael Wallace Banach, Apostolic Nuncio of Hungary and János Székely, County Bishop of Szombathely.
In the appointment, Pope Francis wrote, among other things, the following:
"Those who become sons of God through baptism are reborn by the Holy Spirit and thus become worthy to carry within themselves the enlightening and strengthening Christ as the source of eternal life. Lest believers in Christ neglect this saving grace of divine life in their souls; for those bishops who request an assistant bishop for the growth of the churches entrusted to their care, we gladly and willingly fulfill their wishes. Therefore, when our venerable brother, Péter Erdő, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Metropolitan Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, due to the large number of pastoral matters, asked for an archpriest with whom he could share episcopal duties, we gladly gave our consent. We have decided to choose you for this service, our dear Son, since you have proven your sobriety, your skill in managing affairs, your pastoral zeal, especially in the performance of the office of rector of the Central Seminary in Budapest."
At the beginning of the liturgy, Cardinal Péter Erdő greeted those gathered:
"It gives me great pleasure that on the memorial day of our former martyr auxiliary bishop Zoltán Boldog Meszlényi, we can consecrate a new bishop in the person of Professor Balázs Levente Martos, who was appointed by our Holy Father, Pope Francis, as the auxiliary bishop of our archdiocese. We think with special gratitude and love of the retired auxiliary bishop Ferenc Cserháti, who offered his serious illness and suffering for the new bishop and celebrates with us in spirit."
Those who become sons of God through baptism are reborn by the Holy Spirit and thus become worthy to carry within themselves the enlightening and strengthening Christ as the source of eternal life.
The new bishop spoke as follows after the consecration:
"I thank God and all of you that we can celebrate together today! I prepared for today in the hope that this holiday will serve the present of the Kingdom of God, and that it will give all of us a part in a special way. Thank you for making it so! The last month and a half has been a special period of my life.
I thank the nuncio Michael Wallace Banach and Cardinal Péter Erdő for their words of encouragement in the first moments and for seriously standing by me, who welcomed me with real love as the archpastor of the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest, but also in a personal sense.
I would like to mention two more "border situations". One is related to the simple fact that I received the gift of ordination as a bishop here, on the border of the sanctuary and the nave, where I am still standing. Our churches mark the place of the clergy and the faithful, but according to their vocation, everyone is called to the altar, close to God.
I now strongly experience how good it is to be surrounded by an army of the faithful and my loved ones, but I also experience that I am connected to the clergy with a special strength and completeness.
Source: Hungarian Courier
The Letter to the Hebrews says about Jesus Christ that he became a merciful and faithful high priest (Hebrews 2:17). He is faithful to God and merciful to his brothers and sisters, to all people. I would like to let and ask you to fill my heart with this loyalty and this mercy. And if I open up the meaning of the biblical word a little, let me add: I want to be faithful to my fellow human beings as well. I believe that loyalty to God opens, teaches and strengthens this loving-loyalty towards people. And if I have ever succeeded in truly loving someone, God has also won.
The other border situation is about this city, in fact, this inviting border is none other than the Danube itself. A few days ago I was walking along the banks of the Danube, near the Parliament. Next to Attila József's sitting room, I helped a young foreign couple by explaining in a few sentences what kind of statue it is, what kind of figure is sitting staring at the big river, his hat hanging in his hand. The inscription is also there, and sometimes it will all be ours: "As if the Danube flowed from my heart, the Danube was confusing, wise and big."
Jesus promised us that springs of living water will flow from the heart of whoever believes in him (cf. Jn 7:38). And those of us who live here, on the banks of the Danube, can sometimes ponder, looking into the great river, where it came from and where our lives are going.
Life here on this shore is full of gifts and full of hope for the future. Yes, I would like to sit with many of you now or later on the bank of the great river, watching what life brings us, what God entrusts to us, and how we can do our part for him."
Source and image: Magyar Kurír
