President János Áder has invited Pope Francis to the International Eucharistic Congress to be held in Budapest later this year.
After meeting Pope Francis in Vatican City late last week, President Áder said he had visited the Vatican with the intention of inviting the pope to the congress scheduled for September 13-20.
President Áder noted that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Hungary and the Holy See as well as the 30th anniversary of their re-establishment. He noted that Hungary has not had a papal visit since Pope John Paul II visited the country in 1996.
According to MTI, President Áder said Pope Francis’s visit to Csíksomlyó (Sumuleu Ciuc), Romania, last year had been a “tremendous success” among Catholics, adding that the pontiff “would surely receive a similarly loving welcome from Hungarian believers”. He added that the pope showed keen interest in the program of the congress.
Pope Francis indicated that he would be glad to visit Hungary. “His reaction cannot be considered a full commitment but it was more than a polite comment on the invitation,” President Áder said.
Photo credit: Origo