Subscribe to our social channels to get the latest news about Hungary!
August 20 – Cardinal Erdő: St. Stephen built his country, life on rock of Christ
Change language:
Saint Stephen, Hungary’s first Christian king, built his country and his life “on the rock that is Christ”, Cardinal Peter Erdo, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, said in a mass delivered at St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest on Thursday, marking the August 20 national holiday.
“When we celebrate King Saint Stephen it is not just the past that we commemorate,” the cardinal said. “We also give thanks to God for the survival of Stephen’s people and ask that we may continue our journey with renewed strength and hope.”
The mass, normally held on the square in front of the Basilica with tens of thousands of pilgrims present, was limited to the inside of the church this year due to restrictions on mass gatherings imposed because of the novel coronavirus epidemic. The service was attended by President János Áder and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
In an interview with public broadcaster Kossuth Radio aired on Thursday, Erdő said the lesson Christians had learnt in the recent period was that although God had entrusted mankind to be “good stewards of the world”, that doesn’t entail “full power over creation”.
My maternal grandparents, Istvan and Rosika Kaba, came to America from Hungary in August of 1923. One hundred years ago. They brought their newborn son, Istvan, with them. As a young couple with a baby, they crossed the ocean to an uncertain future. They were courageous and strong. I salute them!