The Holy Father presented a motto to the Hungarian head of state

Tamás Sulyok presented a decorative copy of the Képes Krónika, a Matyó tablecloth and painted eggs placed in a gift box to Pope Francis, who greeted the Hungarian pilgrims in Hungarian.

We talked with Pope Francis about the communities and the future of our communities - the President of the Republic emphasized to Hungarian journalists on the spot.

He added that a personal topic was also touched upon at the meeting, which touched on one of the messages of the Pope's speech during his visit to Budapest. Pope Francis mentioned one of Saint Stephen's admonitions, which says: be gentle, never fight against the truth - recalled Tamás Sulyok, highlighting: this is Saint Stephen's important message, and it is no coincidence that it was Pope Francis who drew attention to it.

The President of the Republic explained: this admonition meant a lot to him, it touched him, so he asked the Pope if he would give it to him as a gift so that he could use it as a motto. And Pope Francis gave it to me with great joy - recalled Tamás Sulyok.

He said: he presented the pope with a "wonderfully beautiful" decorative copy of the Képes Krónika, a matyó tablecloth and painted eggs placed in a gift box, and shared with him, among other things, the legend of the history of matyó embroidery.

He added that he brought the volume "Admonitions of King St. István to Prince Imre" to the Vatican as a gift, since Pope Francis mentioned during his visit to Hungary last year that his library did not have this publication.

During his visit to the Vatican, on Thursday, Tamás Sulyok also participated in the hearing at which Pope Francis welcomed the Hungarians who had arrived on the Hungarian National Pilgrimage, and at which the Holy Father greeted the pilgrims in Hungarian.

Welcome! - was the greeting, and then Pope Francis declared that last April he visited Hungary "as a pilgrim, a brother, a friend" and that he "carries his apostolic journey in his heart with gratitude".

I went to Budapest, the beautiful city of bridges and saints, as a pilgrim to pray with you for Europe, for the desire to build peace, to offer future generations a future of hope, not war; a future full of cradles and not graves; a world full of brothers and not walls! - said the head of the church.

He entrusted the life of the Hungarian Church to Mary, the Great Lady of the Hungarians, and asked for the intercession of Saint Stephen, Saint László, Saint Elizabeth and Saint Imre.

He named Vilmos Boldog Apor, Zoltán Meszlényi, János Brenner, and Sára Salkaházi as role models from the recent period of church persecution.

He emphasized the meeting held with young people in Budapest, stressing that the dialogue between generations and the nurturing of roots strengthen the values ​​that give life, the family, unity, and peace.

He expressed his gratitude for the fact that the Hungarians welcome Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war with an open heart, and that they make efforts to integrate those living on the fringes of society.

He believed that the Hungarian proverb "it is better to give than to receive" (which he said in Hungarian) summed up the Gospel teaching well.

God, bless the Hungarians! Pope Francis concluded his speech in Hungarian, asking for the protection of the Virgin Mary for Hungarians. Pray for me too, not against me, he added jokingly.

He went around the auditorium in a wheelchair greeting the participants almost one by one. The pilgrims waved their white shawls, held up Hungarian flags and the signs of their cities. They sang Hungarian church songs and said prayers.

Almost half of the audience hall with several thousand people was filled by Hungarian pilgrims. In the first rows sat Cardinal Péter Erdő, Primate, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, András Veres, President of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Faculty (MKPK) and members of the board.

At the end of the audience, Pope Francis separately greeted a group of fifty people, whose members shook hands. Among them were the Hungarian priest students studying in Rome, the priest students of the Papal Hungarian Institute, the Hungarian students of the Collegium Germanicum-Hungaricum and the Greek College in Rome.

The pope was accompanied by the deacons of Hungarian seminaries who are about to be ordained, as well as members of the Béres family and the family of Máté Szaplonczay, the head of the Greek Catholic parish in London.

One thousand five hundred people from Hungary, from the areas beyond the border inhabited by Hungarians and from the Hungarian communities in the West came to the Hungarian National Pilgrimage, which was announced by the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference (MKPK), as a thank you for the apostolic visit of Pope Francis to Budapest between April 28 and 30 last year.

MTI

Cover photo: President Tamás Sulyok received by Pope Francis
Source: Facebook/Tamás Sulyok