The Pope Calls for Peace During Holy Mass on Kossuth Square

Pope Francis asked world leaders to build peace at the end of a Mass on Kossuth Lajos Square in Budapest on Sunday, praying for a future full of cradles, not graves. The Catholic leader concluded his speech in Hungarian: “God, bless the Hungarian!”

Pope Francis entrusted all Hungarians, the faith and future of the European continent and the cause of peace to the Virgin Mary, the Lady of the Hungarians. At the end of the Holy Mass, before the prayer of Regina Caeli, he prayed to the Virgin Mary to look to the peoples who are suffering so much, especially to the “neighboring, tormented Ukrainian and Russian people”.

He asked the “Queen of Peace” to pour into the hearts of “the leaders of men and of peoples the desire to build peace, to offer to future generations a future of hope, not war; a future of cradles not graves, a world of brothers and sisters not walls”.

He also prayed to the Virgin that the Church in Europe might rediscover the power of prayer, rediscover Mary’s humility and obedience, the fervor of witness and the beauty of preaching. Pope Francis thanked the entire Hungarian people for the welcome and love he experienced during his visit to Hungary.

I am grateful to you for these days, I carry you in my heart and I ask you to pray for me,” he said, concluding his speech in Hungarian: “God bless the Hungarian people!”

His speech was greeted by applause from the faithful.

Earlier the day Pope Francis received Mayor Gergely Karácsony on a private visit, who was accompanied by his family – his wife, daughter and son – to the meeting at the Apostolic Nunciature. During the meeting with the Mayor, the Pope expressed his conviction that “bridges are needed instead of walls”, the statement said.

According to the information, Gergely Karácsony thanked the Pope for the strength and courage that the people of Budapest can draw from his visit and his words about the city in the midst of crises. The statement recalls that on the first day of the Holy Father’s visit to Hungary, he called Budapest “the city of history, bridges and saints, the protagonist of the present and the future”. The mayor told Pope Francis that “Budapest, as a free, diverse and compassionate city, pays special attention to supporting the destitute, the poor and refugees”.

Featured Photo: MTI/Illyés Tibor