"Otherwise, these places are closed and eliminated, and we fill these places with life and value"
The Mária Út Pilgrimage Shop has opened in Budapest's Ferenciek Square, where you can buy, among other things, maps, stamp sheets and publications containing other important information related to the pilgrimage routes that cover the seven Central European countries.
Bence Rétvári, the parliamentary state secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, highlighted at Tuesday's press conference in Budapest: since Christianity has existed, there have been pilgrimages.
Throughout history, many fashions have risen and then fallen, but pilgrimage has always been important to people, as everyone returns from these trips as a different person, recharged.
That is why it is important that this opportunity opens up to as many people as possible - stated the state secretary.
The Mária Út is a popular and well-known pilgrimage route, since every year ten thousand people make the entire pilgrimage, or one section of it, Bence Rétvári noted.
As he said, sensing the importance of this, the government decided to support the initiative with HUF 50-50-50 million in the following years as well, and supported the proposal that the Mária Út could be included in the European Cultural Routes.
In addition to Hungary, Mária Út also covers Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Austria, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
therefore, in addition to the Hungarian publications related to the pilgrimage route, English-language information sheets are also available at the pilgrimage point, which partly contain information about the entire route and partly about certain details of it, the state secretary pointed out.
The pilgrimage site that opened in one of the busiest areas of the capital has a message for passers-by and half of the tourists, because religious tourism and pilgrimage are about encounters - stressed Lőrinc Nacsa, ministerial commissioner responsible for the coordination of the measures necessary for the implementation of the National Religious Tourism Action Plan of the Prime Minister's Office.
The Hungarian government gives special support to religious tourism in the Carpathian Basin, the valuable treasures, the pilgrimage routes, the living communities that carry value,
that's why this pilgrimage point could also be realized with government support as part of the larger program in which we want to achieve that the Mária Út can win the title of European cultural route - said the ministerial commissioner.
As he said, a few weeks ago a large meeting of European cultural routes was organized in Visegrád, which was attended by 300 guests from more than 40 countries. During the event, Mária Út and the government program created to support religious tourism were also able to present themselves.
The opening of the pilgrimage site is a message for pilgrims and believers, as well as for Hungary and Europe.
"Otherwise, these places are closed and eliminated, and we fill these places with life and value"
Lőrinc Nacsa emphasized.
The construction of the Via Mariae pilgrimage network in Central Europe has been ongoing since 2006 with the initiative and collaboration of associations and foundations from several countries. Their goal is to introduce the religious and cultural values of Central Europe, and to build a safe pilgrim network for those undertaking pilgrimages.
MTI
Photo: Mária Út Pilgrimage Center Facebook
