Pontificate of Pope Leo XIV begins today: here is the message of the Hungarian churches – UPDATED: Orbán, Sulyok
The member churches of MEÖT “hold Pope Leo XIV in our prayers” and trust that the new pontiff “will carry on intra-church dialogue started by his predecessor”, the Presidency of the Ecumenical Council of Churches of Hungary (MEÖT) said in a statement after the conclave elected American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new head of the Catholic Church on Thursday evening.
MEÖT’s statement said Christ-centeredness was “the evangelical basis and condition for cooperation between Christians”.
Dialogue within the church “in a diverse world” would enable “express ourselves beyond the church”.
The statement also expressed hope in a visit by the new pope to Hungary “as soon as possible”.
UPDATE 1: President Sulyok and PM Orbán welcome election of new pope
President of the Republic Tamás Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have both welcomed the election of the new pope, American archbishop Robert Prevost, who will head the Catholic Church as Leo XIV. President Sulyok wrote on Facebook late on Thursday: “May his service be a blessing to the whole world!”
Orbán wrote on his social media page: “We have a pope! There is hope!”
UPDATE 2: Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference President writes congratulations
President of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (MKPK) Bishop András Veres of Győr has written a message of congratulations to Pope Leo XIV on the occasion of his election. “Holiness! With joy and gratitude, we would like to express our heartfelt congratulations on your election as Bishop of Rome and successor of the Apostle Saint Peter,” the president wrote in his letter, adding that the election in the Holy Year of Hope “is a sign of the Lord’s special providence for His Church.”
The letter noted that the new pontiff already visited Hungary at the time of Pope Francis’s visit, becoming acquainted with “our people and culture”, adding hopefully he would pay another visit.
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