The ecumenical Palm Sunday Way of the Cross in Debrecen, which is unique in Hungary this year, will be organized with prayer, poetry and song - the organizers announced on Monday at a press conference in the memorial garden cafe behind the Great Reformed Church.

László Papp (Fidesz-KDNP) reminded us: the Way of the Cross was first organized in 2012 in preparation for Easter, and from 2017 the program became a City Way of the Cross, which "addresses all church organizations and the residents of the city".

This year, the crossroads has several topicalities, on the one hand it carries the message of peace, and on the other hand, in connection with this year's Theater Olympics, it promotes the power of unity with the participation of actors from several cities.

Ferenc Palánki , the Roman Catholic bishop of Debrecen-Nyiregyháza, said that the way of the cross is the way of life, that Christ undertook this way for us, the cross, and that the end of the way is not Golgotha, but the resurrection.

Lajos Püski , the chief clerical clerk of the Tiszántúli Reformed Church District, spoke about the anticipation before Easter, which is followed by the "great celebration of meeting God".

János Terdik , the pastoral vicar of the Greek-Catholic Archdiocese of Hajdúdorog, spoke about the Lent before Easter, during which "we purify ourselves by practicing penance".

It was said at the press conference:

the Palm Sunday procession starts in front of the Great Reformed Church in Debrecen, where there will also be a dedication of the altar, and then the participants of the procession will reach St. Anne's Cathedral through several stations.

The actors invited to the service of the cross - in connection with the 10th Theater Olympiad, which runs from Easter to Midsummer - come from the theaters of the cities that are home to the main locations of the world meeting - Budapest, Debrecen, Győr, Miskolc, Veszprém.
The event strengthens the connection between theater art and the sacred holiday, because the symbol of the 10th Theater Olympiad is the ark, which also appears as a central motif in the Bible. The ark, which is a symbol of preserving and saving values ​​both in the secular and in the ecclesiastical sense, was announced at the press conference.

Source and title image: MTI/Zsolt Czeglédi