Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Primate of Hungary, led the ceremony of blessing motorists in Rome on Sunday: this is one of the most cherished traditions of Italian motorists, which goes back almost a hundred years.
On the liturgical memorial day of Saint Francis of Rome, motorists gathered around the Colosseum again this year to have the Hungarian cardinal bless their vehicles. In July of last year, Cardinal Péter Erdő took over the St. Francis Basilica in Rome as the title church designated by Pope Francis in a solemn mass. Located in the heart of the Eternal City, on the Roman Forum, the ancient church preserves the earthly remains of the holy woman who was very popular with the Romans.
Saint Francis is not only the patron saint of the city of Rome, but also the protector of those walking the road.
Every year, on his liturgical holiday, the cardinal of the title church blesses the vehicles lined up around the Colosseum, and this was also the case this year.
The solemn ceremony began with Holy Mass on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Archbishop Giuseppe Sciacca, Secretary of the Apostolic Signatura, concelebrated at the Holy Mass with Cardinal Péter Erdő; Diego Gualtiero Rosa OSB Oliv., Abbot of Monte Oliveto Maggiore; dom Benedetto Toglia OSB, rector of the basilica, Norbert Németh, rector of the Pontifical Hungarian Institute; Primate Secretary Depaula Flavio and the Olivetan Benedictine Community.
- Saint Francisca of Rome has a special relationship with motorists - said Cardinal Péter Erdő.
As he said, this lies in the fact that from the age of 33, Saint Francis saw his guardian angel by his side almost every day of his life, when he brought help to those in need on these dangerous roads. Although there was absolutely no public safety in Rome, nothing bad ever happened to him because his guardian angel was by his side. This is what motorists also really need. The psalm also says: "He commanded his angels from you to guard you in all your ways," the Hungarian cardinal quoted the words of the Holy Scriptures.
Péter Erdő explained the blessing of cars as follows: the blessing of objects always serves to ensure that the persons who come into contact with the given object receive some kind of grace as a result of the church's prayer. Here we are talking about the objectification of prayer in the consecrated object.
St. Francis is very important for the Romans, the cardinal presented the figure of the holy woman.
As he said, he is one of the patron saints of the city of Rome, along with the apostles Peter and Paul, which also shows how closely he is connected to the city. He died in 1440, the city lived through difficult times, there were epidemics, wars and famine.
A member of one of the most distinguished families, he first married and had six children, three of whom died in infancy. In addition to her family obligations, however, St. Francis took care of the poor and the sick of the city. He walked the streets day and night to bring help to those in need.
When he was widowed, he founded the Obata community, which was spiritually related to the Olivetan Benedictines, who are still here today near the Basilica of St. Francis. He himself chose this church as the center of the community - Péter Erdő described the life of the Roman saint.
There is still plenty of war, misery and needy people today - Péter Erdő continued, drawing attention to the fact that the life example of Saint Francis is still very relevant today.
Back then, people had reason to be afraid of everything, enemy raids, plague, famine, but even now many people's souls are filled with fear.
What will happen in history, what will be the fate of humanity, how will our environment develop? But these fears are bad advisors, we have to look for solutions, with trust and confidence in divine providence. And that's how we can help each other and find solutions in our own environment - said Péter Erdő.
Finally, the cardinal urged the Hungarian pilgrims visiting Rome to visit the Basilica of St. Francis if they are in the Roman Forum or near the Colosseum.
There are many precious memories here, which are very important from a religious point of view. One of them is the tomb of Saint Francis of Rome. The other is the trace of St. Peter's knee. The fight between Simon the Magus and St. Peter is connected to this memory. This stone is no longer kept on the ground, but has been fixed on the wall. For this reason, the basilica is often one of the destinations of pilgrims in Rome, said Cardinal Péter Erdő.
Italy is well known for its car manufacturing. The Roman Church XI. Since Pope Piusz, Saint Francis has been honored as the patron saint of motorists. Beginning in 1928, for almost a hundred years, motor vehicles have been given their blessing in a ceremonial setting so that they can drive happily and without accidents on the roads.
The representatives of the Roman municipality and the delegation of the Italian Automobile Club took part in the festive ceremony. The musical accompaniment was provided by the police band.
Giovanni Zannola, the chairman of Rome's committee responsible for transport, participated in the ceremony as a delegate of the Rome municipality, and in his view it is also very valuable from the point of view of international relations that the Hungarian cardinal blessed the vehicles this year.
We are all working to create a united Europe. Rome monitors Hungary and other European countries. We are grateful that Cardinal Péter Erdő blessed the cars in Rome, which will definitely contribute to the traffic safety of the city - stated Giovanni Zannola.
Cover image: Cardinal Péter Erdő blesses Roman motorists at the Roman Colosseum
Source: Magyar Nemzet/Dalma Jánosi
