The event in the capital is hosted by the Szent Erzsébet church in Árpád-házi, Rózsák tere.
It is very important for Pope Francis, who is visiting Hungary, to personally meet needy and refugee people in our country. The Holy Father will pray together with hundreds of people in difficult circumstances in the Árpád-házi St. Elizabeth's Church in Rózsák terei Budapest, and the Pope will also give a blessing to the needy and the professionals working with them at the end of the program.
Due to the shortness of time, the organization had to be accelerated, and this represents a serious challenge for all of us - Father Gábor Écsy, the national director of Katolicus Karitász, told our newspaper about the papal visit at the end of April. As we wrote earlier, the Holy Father will arrive in Budapest on the morning of April 28, spend three days in Hungary, and then fly back to Rome on the afternoon of April 30. During his apostolic visit, one of the important programs of Pope Francis will be to meet with the poor and refugees in the Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet Church in Budapest on the morning of Saturday, April 29.
The face of Jesus in the poor
Father Gábor Écsy said: the Catholic Charity was given the task of inviting the poor, needy, refugees, homeless, sick and disabled people to the Rózsák Square church, whom the Holy Father can meet there.
If we look back, we see that it is very important for Pope Francis that, in addition to preaching the Gospel, he also meets those in whom people need to recognize the face of Jesus and help them
- said the national director of Catholic Caritas. He added: the Holy Father always set an example in this. According to his words, it is enough to think only of the past week, when Pope Francis was in the hospital, but he still visited patients there and even performed a baptism in the medical institution.
Since a personal meeting is important to the Holy Father, we try to invite as many guests as possible to the church within the narrow limits. Pope Francis will also be able to meet colleagues who deal with and care for the needy in various Catholic Charities institutions, but of course the poor and refugees will be in the majority. They typically live in or receive help from Catholic Charities or other church institutions- pointed out Father Gábor Écsy .
The Pope gives a blessing to the needy
The national director of Katolicus Karitász explained: at the event, which is expected to last approximately one hour, Bishop Antal Spányi of Székesfehérvár, as the head of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference entrusted with charitable and social affairs, and the president of the bishop of Catholic Caritász, will first give a greeting, and then Pope Francis will address the guests present.
Afterwards, the Holy Father is expected to be greeted by a refugee family, who will also prepare a short program, and several people will also testify to their faith in front of Pope Francis. These programs are still being organized
he said. As he said, there will be no Holy Mass at the event, but there will be joint prayer, liturgical and glorifying singing, and the faithful will receive a papal blessing at the end.
The encounter gives great strength
According to Father Gábor Écsy, the meeting with the Pope will have a great impact on all guests, the needy, as well as the staff who deal with them.
They will be able to draw strength from the fact that the leader of the Roman Catholic Church comes among them, wants to meet with them, and gives them a personal message. And he wants to give them encouragement so that they can bear their cross in a dignified manner, with faith. The spiritual association with the Holy Father can fill us all, both the common prayer and the blessing they receive from Pope Francis- emphasized the national director of Catholic Charities. He added: after the meeting, the invited guests will go home to their communities, share their experiences and convey the strength they receive from the Holy Father. In this way, Pope Francis' message will be able to reach even more people.
Featured image: Tiziana Fabi / AFP
