Pope Francis thanked the Church in Hungary for its “generous and wide-ranging service to charity.”
“Thank you too, for having welcomed — not only with generosity but also with enthusiasm — so many refugees from Ukraine,” he said. More than 1.5 million Ukrainians have crossed into Hungary since the beginning of the war more than a year ago.
Pope Francis attends a meeting with poor people and refugees at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church in Budapest, Hungary, on April 29, 2023. Francis was greeted at the meeting by people who shared testimonies of their struggles, including a Ukrainian family that has found refuge in Hungary. The oldest two children of the family, on accordion and saxophone, perform an Argentinean tango for the pope. Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Francis was greeted at the meeting by people who shared testimonies of their struggles, including a Ukrainian family that has found refuge in Hungary. The oldest two children of the family, on accordion and saxophone, performed an Argentinean tango for the pope.
“The memory of love … rekindles hope and inspires people to embark upon a new journey in life,” the pope reflected, responding to the testimony given by the father of the family, Oleg, who was welcomed in Hungary when he worked there years ago as a cook.
“Even amid pain and suffering, once we have received the balm of love, we find the courage needed to keep moving forward,” the Holy Father continued.
“We find the strength to believe that all is not lost and that a different future is possible. The love that Jesus gives us and commands us to practice can help to uproot the evils of indifference and selfishness from society, from our cities and the places where we live, and to rekindle hope for a new, more just and fraternal world, where all can feel at home.”
The pope also responded to a testimony given by a permanent deacon and his wife, who began a ministry for the homeless and needy.
“Sadly, many people, even here, are literally homeless. Many of our more vulnerable sisters and brothers — living alone, struggling with various physical and mental disabilities, devastated by the poison of drugs, released from prison or abandoned because they are elderly — are experiencing severe material, cultural and spiritual poverty; they have no roof over their heads and no home in which to live,” the pope lamented.
The deacon had explained how it was the prompting of the Holy Spirit that led him and his wife to begin their ministry, and the pope praised them for this.