Magyar News, 1991. szeptember-1992. augusztus (2. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1992-12-01 / 4. szám
Magyar News Monthly Publication in Cooperation of the local Hungarian Churches & Organization_________________ MERRY CHRISTMAS to all our readers KELLEMES KARÁCSONYT minden kedves olvasónknak Pope John Paul II, after visiting Hungary this summer said the following at the general audience at the end of August. The article was printed in the Vatican’s paper, the L’Osservatore Romano. POPE JOHN-PAUL II Hungary Has Rich Christian History “Gaude, Mater Hungária. ” With these words the Church of Hungary rejoices at solemn vespers on the feast of St. Stephen. I, too, want to express my joy today that I was able to visit Hungary precisely on August 20th, the solemnity of its patron saint, and during the days preceding it. This fulfilled my desire, after so many years, of visiting a nation which, from the beginning of its recent history, has been closely tied to the See of Peter by a special bond, the sign of which is the Baptism and royal crown which the King of Hungary, St. Stephen, received from Pope Sylvester II in the year 1000. The crown of the saintly Hungarian king has been the country’s symbol of national and political identity, as well as of union with the Church, throughout its long history. From August 16th-20th, the Successor of St. Peter was able to confirm this bond by visiting St. Stephen’s descendants. Áll of this highlights the providential changes which have taken place there in society and in the Church. The previous state of affairs, which began after the end of World War II, was imposed on the Hungarians by the decisions made at Yalta and left the possibility of a Papal visit in the dark, although one was certainly desired. József Cardinal Mindszenty is the symbol of everything the Hungarian Church and nation experienced after 1945. The drive for freedom in 1956 was crushed by the entry of occupation forces and by the political consolidation then imposed. As a result, the Church’s activity became limited and was subjected to the state programs for creating an atheistic society. When the people succeeded in freeing themselves from the system imposed on them, returning to democracy and normal civil rights — including the right to religious freedom — new opportunities were opened up for regular activity by the Church. As a result, I was able to be received in the splendid parliament building in Budapest, the seat of the republic’s government, where I expressed my gratitude for the invitation to the president of Hungary, the prime minister, and all the representatives of the government. I also thanked the local authorities at the various stops I made during my visit to Pecs, Nyíregyháza, Debrecen, and Szombathely. In visiting Hungary we observe its entire past, a past rich in history, which goes back to Roman times. Before the Hungarians arrived, this country had already been enlightened by Christian evangelization. Let it suffice to recall that the Pannonian plain was the homeland of St. Martin (later Bishop of Tours) in the fourth century. In the period of domination by Great Moravia, missionaries arrived there from the St. Cyril and Methodius group. Evidence that Slavs dwelt in the region located among the Danube can be seen in the name of the city of Visegrad (Wyszehrad). During the time when this region was being organized as the Hungarian nation under the governance of the Arpad dynasty (10th to 13th century), St. Gerard and St. Adalbert, Bishop of Prague, were engaging in active missionary work. The person, however, who undoubtedly exercised decisive influence for the entire millennium on the conversion of the Hungarians and on their union with the Catholic Church was St. Stephen. He passed the Christian Faith on to the immediate and distant heirs of his crown, which includes a long line of saints: St. Emeric, St. Stephen, St. Ladislaus, St. Elizabeth, and St. Margaret. It was precisely to St. Margaret that the young people turned on the evening of August 19th. This saint, after the 13th century invasion of the Tatars, became the spiritual point of reference for the country’s rebirth. In looking to her, the young people wanted to draw attention to the task which lies ahead for today’s generation after the spiritual and moral destruction of recent decades. Spiritual Renewal This task was, in effect, the principal and recurring theme of the Continued
