Pope Francis says "Let us not forget that the encounter with Christ is at the center of the life of the Church. " FULL TEXT to Bishops in Hungary

 APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

TO BUDAPEST, ON THE OCCASION OF THE CONCLUSIVE HOLY MASS
OF THE 52nd INTERNATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS, AND TO SLOVAKIA
(12-15 SEPTEMBER 2021)

MEETING WITH THE BISHOPS 

SPEECH OF THE HOLY FATHER 

Museum of Fine Arts (Budapest)
Sunday, 12 September 2021

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Dear Brothers in the Episcopate, good morning!

I am very happy to be here among you on the occasion of the conclusion of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress. I am grateful to Archbishop András Veres for the welcome he gave me and also for the gift he gave me on behalf of all of you: very beautiful, very beautiful! Thanks. And I greet all of you, thanking you for welcoming and promoting this event, which reminds us of the centrality of the Eucharist in the life of the Church.

I would like to share some thoughts precisely starting from the Eucharistic gesture: in the Bread and in the Wine we see Christ offering his Body and Blood for us. The Church of Hungary, with its long history, marked by unshakable faith, persecutions and the blood of martyrs, is particularly associated with the sacrifice of Christ. Many brothers and sisters, many bishops and priests lived what they celebrated on the altar: they were ground like grains of wheat, so that everyone could be fed by God's love; they were pressed like grapes, so that the blood of Christ could become the lymph of new life; they were broken, but their offer of love was an evangelical seed of rebirth planted in the history of this people.

Looking at that history, past history, made up of martyrdom and blood, we can set out towards the future with the same desire as the martyrs: to live charity and bear witness to the Gospel. But we must always keep these two realities together in the life of the Church: guarding the past and looking to the future . Guarding our religious roots, guarding the history from which we come, without however remaining with our gaze turned back: looking to the future, looking forward and finding new ways to proclaim the Gospel.

I keep alive in my heart the memory of the Hungarian Sisters of the Society of Jesus ( Englische Fräulein ), who, due to religious persecution, had to leave their homeland. With the courage of their personality and fidelity to their vocation, they founded the “Maria Ward” College in the city of Plátanos, near the capital. From their strength, their courage, their patience and their love for their homeland I have learned a lot; for me they were a testimony. Remembering them here today, I also pay homage to the many men and women who had to go into exile and also to those who gave their lives for their homeland and for the faith.

As Pastors you are called above all to remind your people of this: Christian tradition - as Benedict XVI said - “is not a collection of things, of words, like a box of dead things; Tradition is the river of new life that comes from the origins, from Christ to us, and involves us in the history of God with humanity "( General Audience, May 3, 2006). You have chosen as the theme of the Congress a verse from Psalm 88: "All my sources are in you". Behold, the Church comes from the source which is Christ and is sent so that the Gospel, like a river of living water, infinitely wider and more welcoming than your great Danube, may reach the dryness of the world and of the heart of man, purifying it and quenching his thirst. The episcopal ministry, then, does not serve to repeat a news of the past, but is a prophetic voice of the perennial relevance of the Gospel, in the life of the holy People of God and in today's history.

I would like to suggest some indications for carrying out this mission.

The first: to be heralds of the Gospel. Let us not forget that the encounter with Christ is at the center of the life of the Church. Sometimes, especially when the society around us does not seem enthusiastic about our Christian proposal, the temptation is to close ourselves in the defense of institutions and structures. Your country today is undergoing great changes that affect the whole of Europe in general. After the long time in which it was prevented from professing the faith, with the advent of freedom there are new challenges to face, in a context in which secularism is growing and the thirst for God is weakening. living water, which always flows and quenches thirst, is Christ. The structures, the institutions, the presence of the Church in society only serve to awaken the thirst for God in people and to bring them the living water of the Gospel. Therefore, This is required of you Bishops above all: not the bureaucratic administration of structures, let others do this; not the pursuit of privileges and advantages. Please be servants. Servants, not princes. What am I asking of you? The burning passion for the Gospel, as it is: the Gospel. Fidelity and passion to the Gospel. To be witnesses and heralds of the Good News, spreaders of joy, close to priests - close to priests - and to religious with a fatherly heart, exercising the art of listening.

Allow me to leave the text and remind you of the four neighborhoods of the bishop. Closeness to God is the first. As a brother, I ask you: do you pray? Or are you just going to say the breviary? Does your heart pray? Do you take time to pray? "But, it's just that I'm so busy ...". But in the busyness of every day, put that too: pray. Second: closeness between you. Episcopal brotherhood, the episcopal conference, is a grace. None of you think the same as the other: this is wealth. However, try to bring differences into the unity of the episcopate and do not seek the path of consortiums. All brothers. You think differently from me, but you are brother. Discuss? Discuss. Shall we cry? We cry out. But as brothers, this cannot be touched: the unity of the Bishops' Conference. It is a grace: we must ask for it. It is guarding the people of God in the unity of the bishops. The third closeness is the one I mentioned: closeness to priests. The bishop's "closest neighbor" is the priest. I tell you something that pains me so much. I have found, in some dioceses, both in my homeland, when I was there, in the previous diocese, and now that I am in Rome, priests who complain, difficult: but they complain because they want, they need to talk to the bishop. They say. And many times I have heard this: "I called and the secretary said that he is too busy, that he looked at me and said: 'in three weeks it may be, he will give you an appointment for a quarter of an hour'". And the priest says: "no, thank you, so I don't want to", or: "yes". But it doesn't work. The priest feels the bishop far away, he does not hear him closeness to priests. The bishop's "closest neighbor" is the priest. I tell you something that pains me so much. I have found, in some dioceses, both in my homeland, when I was there, in the previous diocese, and now that I am in Rome, priests who complain, difficult: but they complain because they want, they need to talk to the bishop. They say. And many times I have heard this: "I called and the secretary said that he is too busy, that he looked at me and said: 'in three weeks it may be, he will give you an appointment for a quarter of an hour'". And the priest says: "no, thank you, so I don't want to", or: "yes". But it doesn't work. The priest feels the bishop far away, he does not hear him closeness to priests. The bishop's "closest neighbor" is the priest. I tell you something that pains me so much. I have found, in some dioceses, both in my homeland, when I was there, in the previous diocese, and now that I am in Rome, priests who complain, difficult: but they complain because they want, they need to talk to the bishop. They say. And many times I have heard this: "I called and the secretary said that he is too busy, that he looked at me and said: 'in three weeks it may be, he will give you an appointment for a quarter of an hour'". And the priest says: "no, thank you, so I don't want to", or: "yes". But it doesn't work. The priest feels the bishop far away, he does not hear him both in my homeland, when I was there, in the previous diocese, and now that I am in Rome, priests who complain, difficult: but they complain because they want, they need to talk to the bishop. They say. And many times I have heard this: "I called and the secretary said that he is too busy, that he looked at me and said: 'in three weeks it may be, he will give you an appointment for a quarter of an hour'". And the priest says: "no, thank you, so I don't want to", or: "yes". But it doesn't work. The priest feels the bishop far away, he does not hear him both in my homeland, when I was there, in the previous diocese, and now that I am in Rome, priests who complain, difficult: but they complain because they want, they need to talk to the bishop. They say. And many times I have heard this: "I called and the secretary said that he is too busy, that he looked at me and said: 'in three weeks it may be, he will give you an appointment for a quarter of an hour'". And the priest says: "no, thank you, so I don't want to", or: "yes". But it doesn't work. The priest feels the bishop far away, he does not hear him who looked and said to me: 'within three weeks it may be, he will give you an appointment for a quarter of an hour' ”. And the priest says: "no, thank you, so I don't want to", or: "yes". But it doesn't work. The priest feels the bishop far away, he does not hear him who looked and said to me: 'within three weeks it may be, he will give you an appointment for a quarter of an hour' ”. And the priest says: "no, thank you, so I don't want to", or: "yes". But it doesn't work. The priest feels the bishop far away, he does not hear himfather . I give you some advice, as a brother: when you return to the bishopric after a mission, after a visit to a parish, tired, and you see the call of a priest, call him: the same day or at the latest the following day: no later than. The vicinity. And that priest, if called right away, will know he has a father. This is very important. Proximity to priests, and this also means to religious. "Eh, but you know, this priest is difficult ...". But, tell me, what father doesn't have a difficult son? All. Children love each other as they are, not as I would like them to be. And then, the fourth closeness: closeness to the holy faithful people of God. Please do not forget your people, from where the Lord took you. "I took you from behind the flock": do not forget the flock from which you were taken. What did Paul recommend to Timothy? “Remember your mother and your grandmother, your people”. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews said: "Remember those who initiated you to the faith". How many humble catechists, how many grandmothers are behind us. The heart is close to the people. It is bad when the heart of a bishop turns away from the people. The four neighborhoods. Examine your conscience on how they are going: I think good, but I like to reiterate them. Closeness to God, closeness among you - "I see some with a special historical, liturgical peculiarity, and others so different: closeness to their liturgy, to their history, without wanting to take them,Latinize them : no, please, no. Closeness among you, closeness with priests and closeness to the holy faithful people of God. To be a bishop today - always, but I stress, today - one must practice the art of listening. And it's not easy. Do not be afraid to give space to the Word of God and to involve the laity: they will be the channels through which the river of faith will once again irrigate Hungary.

A second indication: to be witnesses of fraternity . Your country is a place where people from other peoples have lived together for some time. Various ethnicities, minorities, religious confessions and migrants have also transformed this country into a multicultural environment. This reality is new and, at least at first, it is frightening. Diversity is always a little scary because it jeopardizes the acquired security and provokes the stability achieved. However, it is a great opportunity to open the heart to the Gospel message: "Love one another as I have loved you" ( Jn15.12). Faced with cultural, ethnic, political and religious diversities, we can have two attitudes: close ourselves in a rigid defense of our so-called identity or open ourselves to the encounter with the other and cultivate together the dream of a fraternal society. I like to recall here that in this European capital, in 2017, you met with the representatives of other Episcopal Conferences of Central and Eastern Europe and reiterated that belonging to one's own identity must never become a reason for hostility and contempt. of others, but an aid to dialogue with different cultures. Dialogue, without negotiating one's own belonging.

Above the great river that crosses this city stands the imposing Chain Bridge: it replaced a fragile wooden bridge and served to join Buda and Pest. If we want the river of the Gospel to reach people's lives, making a more fraternal and supportive society sprout here in Hungary too, we need the Church to build new bridges for dialogue.. As Bishops, I ask you to always show, together with priests and pastoral collaborators, the true face of the Church: she is a mother. She is a mother! A welcoming face towards everyone, even towards those who come from outside, a fraternal face, open to dialogue. Be Pastors who have fraternity at heart. Not masters of the flock, but fathers and brothers. May the style of fraternity, which I ask you to cultivate with priests and with all the People of God, become a shining sign for Hungary. Thus, a Church will take shape in which especially the laity, in every area of ​​their daily, family, social and professional life, will become the leaven of evangelical fraternity. May the Hungarian Church be a builder of bridges and a promoter of dialogue!

Finally, the third thing, to be builders of hope. If we put the Gospel at the center and bear witness to it in brotherly love, we can look to the future with hope, even if today we are going through small or large storms. This is what the Church is called to spread in people's lives: the reassuring certainty that God is mercy, that he loves us in every moment of life and is always ready to forgive us and get up again. Don't forget God's style, which is a style of closeness, compassion and tenderness. This is God's style. Let's go down this path, with the same style. The temptation to break down and discourage never comes from God. Never. It comes from the enemy, but it nourishes itself in many situations: behind the facade of well-being, behind a dress of religious traditions, many dark sides can be hidden. The Church in Hungary has recently had the opportunity to reflect on how the transition from the era of dictatorship to that of a newfound freedom is a transition marked by contradictions: the degradation of moral life, the increase of the underworld, the drug trade, up to to the scourge of organ trafficking and so many facts about children, murdered for this. There are social problems: the difficulties of families, poverty, the wounds that affect the world of young people, in a context in which democracy still needs to consolidate. The Church can only be a protagonist of closeness, a dispenser of attention and consolation for people, so that they never allow themselves to be robbed of the light of hope. The proclamation of the Gospel reinvigorates hope because it reminds us that in everything we live God is present, accompanies us, it gives us courage, it gives us creativity to always start a new story. It is moving to recall what the Venerable Cardinal József Mindszenty, son and father of this Church and this land said, who, at the end of a life full of suffering due to persecution, left these words of hope: “God is young. The future is hers. It is He who evokes what is new, young and the future in individuals and peoples. Therefore we cannot abandon ourselves to despair "( It is He who evokes what is new, young and the future in individuals and peoples. Therefore we cannot abandon ourselves to despair "( It is He who evokes what is new, young and the future in individuals and peoples. Therefore we cannot abandon ourselves to despair "(Message to the President of the Organizing Committee and to the Hungarians in exile , in J. Közi Horváth, Mindszenty bíboros , 111). God is young.

In the face of crises, social or ecclesial, may you always be builders of hope. As Bishops of the country, always have words of encouragement. May not be found on your lips expressions that mark distances and impose judgments, but that help the People of God to look to the future with confidence, help people to become free and responsible protagonists of life, which is a gift of grace to be welcomed, not a puzzle to solve. The cube of your talented and famous architect Rubik remains a brilliant game, not a model for life! And remember: shepherds of the flock. The pastor must be inside to the flock: at the beginning of the flock to show the way, in the midst of the flock to understand the smell, behind the flock to help those who remain behind and also to let the flock go a little forward, because it has a special flair to indicate where the good, nutritious soils are.

Dear brothers, Hungary too needs a renewed proclamation of the Gospel, a new social and religious fraternity, a hope to be built day by day in order to look to the future with joy. You are the pastors who are protagonists of this historical process, of this beautiful adventure. Brothers, may God confirm you in the joy of the mission - the joy of the mission! I thank you for everything you do and I bless you from my heart. May Our Lady protect you and Saint Joseph keep you. And, if you have some time, pray for the Pope. Thank you.

FULL TEXT Source: Vatican.va - Unofficial Translation