The Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, however, underlined that, in reality, this is the real situation of Christians because “Christ has always been revolutionary even in his times. Faith is always a revolutionary attitude.”
In his trip to Budapest, Pope Francis is expected to meet authorities and Bishops.
The three-day Papal visit will also entail a meeting with the world of culture, a meeting with refugees, and one with members of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. In addition, other Christian and religious representatives were invited to the final Mass in Kossuth Square.
During the trip, Pope Francis is set to address one of his rare speeches to the world of culture, and in particular to the Pázmány Péter Catholic University, which is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its foundation this academic year.
The Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest says that the visit to the Pázmány Péter Catholic University is important, and explains, “One of the greatest challenges of the Catholic Church in Hungary is the youth. In recent decades we have seen the restitution of quite a few schools that were previously Catholic, and then we have been able to take over the management of other schools at the request of most parents. For this reason, between 15 and 17 percent of the country's schools are under Catholic management.”
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Meanwhile, Mons. Tóth has explored the growth of the Catholic Church in Hungary, which he says is seen in the expansion of Church-run institutions and the growth of parishes.
“We are happy to say that today in Hungary, almost 150,000 young people are receiving a Catholic education, and we have almost 17,000 university students,” he told CNA.
In addition, around 3,000 churches have been built in Hungary in the last 10 years Mons. Tóth says, and explains that the growth is because “on the one hand, the places where we gather for religious functions are important to us, on the other, the government also strongly supports the restructuring of churches, since it considers these places as cultural heritage.”
Christianity continues to thrive today in Hungary, with over a third of the population said to identify as Roman Catholic, many of whom live in the western and northern parts of the country.
Mons. Tóth has expressed optimism that the message of Pope Francis will strengthen the young people in Hungary to further steer the growth of the Church amid the “changing world”.
“We are confident that the presence of the Pope can strengthen in our young people and all of us the feeling of not being alone in this rapidly changing and challenging world: they are part of a greater whole, the universal Church, which under the guidance of the successor of St. Peter, he watches over them, over us and to whom he cares a lot. Therefore, Christ's message is relevant and attractive even in a changing world,” he said.
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