President Tamás Sulyok paid an official visit to the Vatican on Thursday. The Hungarian President and Pope Francis ‘discussed communities and the future of our communities with Pope Francis,’ the President told Hungarian journalists on-site.
Tamás Sulyok noted that they also touched upon a personal topic during the meeting, related to one of the messages from the pope’s speech during his visit to Budapest. Pope Francis mentioned one of Saint Stephen’s admonitions, which goes:
‘Be gentle, so that you never fight against the truth,’
Sulyok recalled, highlighting that this is an important message from Saint Stephen, and it’s not a coincidence that Pope Francis drew attention to it. He explained that this admonition meant a lot to him, it touched him deeply, so he asked the pope if he could use it as a motto. Pope Francis gladly gave it to him, Sulyok concluded.
He mentioned that as gifts, he brought to the Vatican a ‘wonderfully beautiful’ replica copy of the Illustrated Chronicle, a Matyó embroidered tablecloth, and painted eggs placed in a decorative box, and shared with him, among other things, the legend of Matyó embroidery. As an additional gift, he brought the book The Admonitions of King Saint Stephen to His Son Prince Emeric to the Vatican, as Pope Francis had mentioned during his visit to Hungary last year that this publication had been missing from his library.
During his visit to the Vatican, Tamás Sulyok also participated in the audience on Thursday, where Pope Francis received the Hungarians who arrived for the Hungarian National Pilgrimage, and then attended the Mass concluding the pilgrimage at St Peter’s Basilica.
A total of 1,500 people from Hungary, Hungarian-populated areas beyond the borders, and Western Hungarian communities participated in the Hungarian National Pilgrimage, organized by the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (MKPK) as a gesture of thanks for Pope Francis’ apostolic visit to Budapest on 28–30 April last year.
On Friday the President will hold talks with Fra John Dunlap, Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
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