Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, blessed his flower carriage depicting the Holy Crown of the Debrecen Flower Carnival in honor of the International Eucharistic Congress next to the Esztergom Basilica on Sunday, after the Mass presented at the Assumption Feast.
The cardinal pointed out that the carriage depicting the Holy Crown is closely connected with the Feast of the Assumption, as he “offered the crown of St. Stephen, that is, his country and his people, to the protection of the Virgin Mary”. We still “desperately need” this protection in today’s changing times – Péter Erdő added.
He also mentioned that with the sacramental processions, the participants ask Christ to protect the parish, the city, the country where the procession passes. Like these processions, the two flower carriages depicting the Holy Crown and the sacrament of the altar are “a great form of prayer from Debrecen to Esztergom and Budapest, for our country and all our people,” the cardinal said.
Miklós Kásler, Minister of Human Resources, emphasized in his greeting: The feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ie the feast of St. Stephen’s death and heavenly birth. He put it this way: “Thanks to St. Stephen, we live, that we live as Hungarians, and we can live here.” It was he, the minister continued, who created the Frankish-type Christian Hungarian state, thus physically and mentally ensuring the country’s survival. He added: St. Stephen confirmed this decision when he offered his country to the Virgin Mary the day before his death. This is how Hungary became the country of Mary, Regnum Marianum. Mary is therefore not only the patron saint of the country but also the queen.
Pál Völner, the Fidesz Member of Parliament for the region, spoke about the fact that a few years ago it was a tradition that flower wagons left Esztergom for Debrecen, for the flower carnival. This year, in addition to the carriage depicting the Holy Crown, a one was also built in honor of the International Eucharistic Congress. These two symbols, the Holy Crown and the sacrament of the altar, may seem like “outdated” messages, as “today’s world is about something completely different”.
“We are engaging in debates that fundamentally question the nation, the church, and the faith of God.” “But we must send such strong messages, strong symbols, because that is the only way we can resist and trust” that the Holy Crown, which has held the Hungarian people for a thousand years, and the Eucharist that has held the Church together for two thousand years will preserve “our families and nation” – he pointed out.
In his message sent for the occasion, Ádám Hernádi, the mayor of Esztergom, thanked the two flower carts and asked the people of Esztergom to be proud of them. He also wrote that the International Eucharistic Congress, regardless of its denominational affiliation, will be a celebration for all Christians, and even for the Hungarians of the entire Carpathian Basin.
László Papp, Mayor of Debrecen, also greeted the participants in a letter. As he wrote, the vernacular often mentions Debrecen as Calvinist Rome, but it is a less well-known fact that, in addition to the Reformed, Roman and Greek Catholics also have bishops in the city. It is of great importance that these denominations live their faith in harmony with each other and with the smaller historical churches, cooperating in many areas. He recalled: this spiritual unity three decades ago, St. II. It began with the symbolic act of Pope John Paul II, who on his visit to Debrecen wreathed the monument to the Protestant galley pieces erected behind the Great Church as a sign of reconciliation.
At the end of the Mass, Péter Erdő blessed the new time capsule of the Esztergom Basilica. The original capsule, placed during the construction of the cathedral in 1845, was opened from the cross of the dome during the three-year renovation of the basilica.
The new time capsule contains a copy of the original document, the current register of the Esztergom-Budapest Archdiocese, the commemorative medals of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress, a mouth mask reminiscent of the coronavirus epidemic and the writing of Péter Erdő.
MTI
Photo: MTI / Márton Mónus
