During his weekly General Audience, the Holy Father spoke to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. He recalled his most recent trip to Hungary and chose to concentrate on the images of roots and bridges.

Saints as The Roots
Pope Francis emphasized how, during his trip to Hungary, he witnessed a great number of modest and hard-working people joyfully cherishing their connection to their roots. It should be noted that the saints rank first among these roots: saints who offered their lives in service to others, saints who preached the gospel of love and saints who shone like lights amid the darkness. There are countless saints from the past who today encourage us to overcome the dangers of defeatism and the fear of the future by keeping in mind that Christ is our future.

The Pope continued by saying that the Hungarian people had nonetheless been tested. He referred to the atheist persecution of the 20th century when Christians were brutally persecuted, with bishops, priests, religious, and lay people being assassinated or deprived of their freedom, and claimed that their faith had been put to the proof by fire according to what we learned from the Word of God. The Pope claimed that despite these efforts to bring down the tree of faith, its roots held firm: a hidden Church with many clergy members who were consecrated in secret continued to be steady, bearing witness to the Gospel by laboring in factories, while grandmothers evangelized secretly.

Building Bridges To Embrace Diversity
Next, Pope Francis focused on the second image: a bridge. The Pope stated that Budapest is known for its three bridges that span and connect its various neighborhoods. He reflected on how, in Hungary, he had emphasized the need for Europe to embrace diversity and welcome those who come knocking for it to fulfill its role as a bridge for peace. In this way, the Pope's meeting with so many refugees from neighboring Ukraine while also praising the vast network of charitable endeavors of the Hungarian Church was pleasant.

The Holy Father continued using the metaphor of the bridge to say that the nation is likewise highly devoted to building bridges for the future because it cares for the environment. To help the women and men of our day rediscover Jesus, the Church is also obligated to build bridges with the people of today. This is because the proclamation of Christ cannot simply be the repetition of the past.

Finally, the Pope expressed gratitude for the wonderful liturgical moments and thought about the virtue of bridging the gaps between believers.

Before handing Hungary to Mary, Queen of Hungary and Queen of Peace, the Pope closed by asking us to consider whether we, too, are constructing bridges in our daily lives.