SW News: During the Regina Caeli at the conclusion of his Mass in Budapest’s Kossuth Lajos Square in Budapest on Sunday, April 30,  the Holy Father entrusted the Central European country to the Holy Virgin who is known under the title Magna Domina Hungarorum or the Great Lady of Hungary.

“From this great city and from this noble country,” the pontiff said, “I desire to entrust to her heart the faith and the future of the entire continent of Europe, which has been on my mind in these days and, in particular, the cause of peace.” He also prayed to Our Lady for the people in neighboring Ukraine. He asked the Holy Virgin, the Queen of Peace, to instill in the hearts of people and their leaders the desire to have peace so that younger generations will have a future of hope.

He told believers how the Blessed Mother accompanied the disciples when the Christian community was born after Pentecost. Pope Francis expressed hope that the Catholic Church on the continent might obtain “strength in prayer, renewed humility and obedience, and be an example of convincing witness and joyful proclamation.”

He then used the opportunity to express gratitude to the Hungarian authorities and people of the country for the affection he experienced during his visit. “I think especially of the sick and the elderly, of those who were unable to be present with us, of those who are lonely and those who have lost faith in God and hope in life,” he said. “I am close to all of you; I pray for you and I give you my blessing.”

In what is seen as an acknowledgment to all Christians of other confessions who followed the Apostolic Journey, the pontiff urged them to support each other as they are all united by the Gospel. Recalling the earlier address of Cardinal Peter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest who said that Hungary was on the periphery of Western Christianity for more than 1000 years, the pope said, “It is a beautiful thing when borders do not represent boundaries that separate,” he said, “but points of contact, and when believers in Christ emphasize first the charity that unites us, rather than the historical, cultural and religious differences that divide us.”

The pope used the occasion to gift a statue of St Stephen the King and a beautiful chalice to the Church in Hungary. The gifts were received by Cardinal Erdo. Before winding up his address, he told the thousands who had gathered on Kossuth Lajos Square to spread the joy of Jesus to all around them. He wished them Isten eltessen (best wishes) in Hungarian before saying “Isten ald meg a Magyart!” (God Bless the Hungarians).