Pannonhalma Archabbot Brings up Child Protection with Pope Francis

Pope Francis received Archabbot T. Cirill Hortobágyi of Pannonhalma and his delegation at the Vatican on Monday. The historic diplomatic relationship between the Vatican and Pannonhalma, the ecumenical commitment of the Benedictine abbey and child protection were among the topics discussed during the talks with Pope Francis, T. Cirill Hortobágyi told MTI after the private audience.

In addition to members of the Pannonhalma Archabbey Council, the delegation also included Csaba Kandrács, vice-president of the Hungarian National Bank. At the meeting, Pope Francis was presented with a coin issued by the Central Bank to mark the 800th anniversary of the consecration of the Pannonhalma Archabbey. T. Cirill Hortobágyi noted that the Archabbot of Pannonhalma had also presented a commemorative coin to the Pope on the previous 700th anniversary, thus this had become a tradition.

“With this visit, we wanted to thank the Pope for his great interest in us. During his visits to Hungary, in 2022 and 2023, he mentioned Pannonhalma both times.

Pope Francis has called Pannonhalma a bridge of brotherhood, a place of prayer and a spiritual bastion and center. All three are important for the future of the abbey,”

the Archbishop said following the visit.

The Archabbot reported to Pope Francis on the ecumenical efforts and commitment of the Benedictine abbey, including meetings with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

He said that in the “tiny diocese” of Pannonhalma they were trying to reorganize pastoral work through the synodality advocated by Pope Francis. He added that in the field of child protection “we are trying to do what we can” and that Pannonhalma was also taking part in dialogue with contemporary culture.

Prior to the Vatican visit, the Benedictine delegation attended the closing of the Ecumenical Week of Prayer at St Paul’s Basilica on Saturday.

On Sunday they visited the Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino, between Rome and Naples. T. Cirill Hortobágyi said that in 1212 Abbot Oros made a prayer covenant with Abbot Adenulf and the monks of Montecassino that on January 25, the day of the conversion of Saint Paul, the monks of Pannonhalma would pray for him and they for their Hungarian brothers. “We have revived the tradition on the site. We prayed at the tomb of St Benedict and visited the monastery where he wrote his Regulus and from where Benedictine spirituality spread throughout the world,” he noted.

Via MTI, Featured image: Pixabay