During the closing mass of the International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest, Pope Francis expressed his wish that the Cross be "the bridge between the past and the future" for those gathered for the event.
According to MTI, the pope said the feeling of religion was what gave life to the Hungarian nation. However, the Cross planted in the ground “not only invites us to be well-rooted, but also reaches high and extends its arms to everyone”, he said. “The Cross invites us to be firm in our roots, but we must not be satisfied with this,” the pope said, adding that the faithful should also “draw from the fountain and give drink to those who thirst in our time”. “My wish is that you be grounded and open, rooted and considerate,” Francis said. He said the Mission Cross called on the faithful to preach the Gospel and the message of God’s eternal love. “In today’s world hungry for love, this is the nourishment that all Hungarians crave,” he said.
The pope thanked what he described as “the great Hungarian Christian family”, which he said he wanted to “embrace in its rites, its history, its brothers and sisters, both Catholic and those of other confessions: all journeying towards full unity”.