Hundreds of thousands of Hungarians attended the Pentecost mass in Csíksomlyó, Romania

President Katalin Novák on Saturday attended Pentecost mass in Sumuleu Ciuc (Csiksomlyó), in central Romania, and said it was “uplifting to experience when the nation is together.”

The open-air mass is part of the largest pilgrimage of Hungarian Catholics, drawing hundreds of thousands of believers from Hungary and the diasporas every year. Talking to Hungarian public media, Novák said the pilgrimage united Christianity and Hungarian identity. This year’s attendees prayed for peace, which seems even more valuable with the war in a neighbouring country, where Hungarian nationals have also lost their lives, she said.

After mass, the president visited the church in Sumuleu Ciuc, and the statue of the Virgin Mary which the Catholic Church declared miraculous statue in 1798. Former President János Ader and Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén also attended.