Catholic Church head marks centenary of last Hungarian king’s coronation

Budapest, 2016. december 30. Erdõ Péter bíboros, esztergom-budapesti érsek (középen) a IV. Károly királlyá koronázásnak centenáriuma alkalmából rendezett ünnepi szentmisén a Budavári Nagyboldogasszony-, közismert nevén Mátyás-templomban 2016. december 30-án. MTI Fotó: Kovács Tamás

Budapest, December 30 (MTI) – The example set by the beatified Charles IV encourages unconditional faith in God, Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, said at a mass marking the centenary of the coronation of Hungary’s last king on Friday.

“The only way to offer a fitting tribute to the coronation of our last king is by renewing within ourselves the assumption of responsibility over our community and our faith in God, the Caregiver…” Erdő said in his mass delivered at Matthias Church.

In an opening address to the ceremony, Human Resources Minister Zoltán Balog said it was the central European countries that were today’s strongest representatives of the spiritual values that had formed the foundations of Europe.

“Today we are witnessing the revival of central European thought. We have made and are prepared to make peace with each other so that the nations that were afflicted by communism could form an alliance allowing them to take their rightful place on the international European stage,” Balog said.

The minister called for a newfound European cooperation that would take responsibility for both the present and the future.

The ceremony was also attended by President János Áder and Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén.