Hungarian pastors asking for preferential vaccinations like teachers
God “faithfully loves man, especially in troubled times,” Cardinal Péter Erdő, the head of the Hungarian Catholic Church, told MTI on Saturday, celebrating Easter.
The cardinal said Jesus “thanked his Father while preparing for torture and death” at the Last Supper. “It is important that we are able to express our gratitude to God who loves us eternally and will never leave us alone in trouble,” he said.
Erdő said that during the past year of the pandemic ties between people had strengthened despite physical isolation. “It has become natural for people to pay more attention to each other,” he said.
Erdő said he was not afraid that people would “get unaccustomed to going to church” and that he was seeing “just the opposite”. “Many phone asking when they can come again or where they could have holy communion … and
we can hardly wait for the situation to improve, with eased restrictions and everything again in the usual order,” he said.
Bishop Zoltán Balog, head of the synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church, said that this year “the sense of despair is deeper, but the hope of resurrection and a new life is also more realistic”.
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Referring to pastors visiting Covid patients in hospital, Balog said that current times were “shocking and difficult”, and he quoted the prophet Jeremiah as saying that “death has climbed in through our windows”. He added, however, that “the world is not alone in the pandemic … He, who created it, is also able to redeem and recreate.” Recreation “starts personally”, he said, advising that “rather than waiting for global solutions and measures we should observe change taking place in ourselves and listen to a loving God that has not only created but will also free us.”
“Christ’s resurrection has a timeless message, and we are waiting for a new beginning; a resurrection,” Balog said.
Bishop Tamás Fabiny, the head of the Hungarian Evangelical Church, told MTI that “Jesus is stronger than church walls”, and “just as he could speak to the disciples who had locked themselves up, he is able to speak to people in quarantine.”
“Churches are empty this Easter,” the bishop said, calling, however, on the community “not to despair: at Easter the tomb of Jesus is also empty and the resurrected Christ will find his way to his disciples through closed doors.”
Fabiny spoke of the “heroic” efforts of pastors, adding that “they deserve praise, just as doctors, nurses, police officers, soldiers, and bakers do.” Visiting the sick or officiating at funerals, they were risking their lives, he said, adding that the
Catholic, Reformed, and Evangelical communities had requested that pastors and priests should be granted preferential coronavirus vaccinations, similarly to teachers.
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Source: MTI
Cardinal Peter Erdo – Archbishop of Esztergon-Budapest – Primate of the Catholic Church in Hungary – where is your Voice ?
Cardinal Erdo – 43% of the Hungarian population are your baptized Brothers and Sisters in Christ.
Cardinal Erdo – you are the spiritual Father to this 43% per cent of Hungarians, but you choose to remain quite silent – behind the walls of your Esztergon Palace and on chosen occasions, speak to your flock, the 43% of Catholic Hungarians, by way of – out of sight written communication.
Cardinal Erdo – is this removal of your-self from public life the position you hold in the Catholic Church in Hungary, the crisis, in the vastness of your Brothers and Sisters in Christ – the lives they are living through this novel coronavirus – is your Silence in the eyes of God correct ?
Are you carrying the Cross of Christ Jesus – in what it’s message is meant to represent – to us Baptized Hungarian Catholics ???
Hungary – 1 in every 443 citizens in a population of 9.6 million are moving to eternal happiness through this novel virus.
This loss of human life statistic will worsen, and you remain “passively” silent when you are the Spiritual Father of 43% of the 9.6 population of Hungary.
Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty – would he have taken the position of Silence that you have taken ?
Would Saint Pope John Paul 11 – a personal hero of yours, remember his famous expression -“Be not Afraid” would he have taken the code of Silence ?
Pope Francis – gave you Cardinal Erdo in his Easter Message – and “Be not Afraid” – to play Church against Politics – centered on the Humanitarian Responsibilities a Government has in it’s Care and Love for it’s citizens.
Cardinal Erdo – your Silence could very much suggest that you personally think the present Government of Hungary are excelling in there efforts to control and manage this rampant noval coronavirus that is causing cataclysmic devastation throughout Hungary.
We your fellow Children in Christ would like to see and hear your inner most thoughts on this worsening Humanitarian Social and Economic catastrophic situation – seen and recognized globally as this century’s greatest tragedy that currently, we ALL in Hungary – are experiencing.
LEAD – be the up front – and be seen and witnessed in leading us – the 43% of us Catholic Hungarians – to ease our pain and suffering – give us leadership inspire us with Hope built on Faith – but your Silence is not lessening the agony and pain that the vastness of your 43% fellow Catholics in Hungary, from “all stations in life” are presently and into the future having to suffer and endure.
Cardinal Erdo – missed opportunity.
Easter Sunday – to Celebrate the “risen” Lord, that he has risen, that the Light of Christ has come into the World – giving mankind New Life – a new beginning the promises this New Life gave or gives us ALL – Cardinal Erdo you missed an opportunity to send a message of Hope and New Life to the 43% of Hungarians that you are there Spiritual Father.
Did you consider – knowing the Celebration of the Eucharist – coming together as Gods – People filling the Catholic Churches of Hungary – to Celebrate the Risen Lord – you knew this could not Happen.
Why did you not consider – at noon – on Easter Sunday – using your position, the Power it Holds and Authority – issuing the instruction – that ALL the Bells in the Church’s of Hungary – Basilicas and Cathedral – why did you not look outside the box – and instruct that they be Peeled and Rung – for 10 minutes to send an Easter message to Hungarian Catholics and ALL Hungarians – that “he is risen” celebrate his coming and resurrection – the HOPE we must “feed” and grow in our Faith in what, in the Message of Easter Sunday is centered on.
Cardinal Erdo – this act – this instruction, to ring and peel the Bells, would have lifted us from the darkened times we ALL live.
Intellectually – you would know the History and reasons of Church Bells – there usage BUT you missed this opportunity – that your instruction, could have eased the pain and suffering being currently endured by the vast majority of the 43% Catholic Hungarians – to who you are there Spiritual Father.
Speak for US – the power that from the pulpit PROVIDES for YOU – take the opportunity to use it and “Be not Afraid” – speaking being seen representing us – the 43% of us, to play Church against Politic in the “style” of Cardinal Jozsef Minszenty and Saint Pope John Paul 11.
Cardinal Erdo – “We are the Masters of our Fate and We are the Captains of our Soul”.
Blessings and Greetings to Caritas and all other religious in our Hungarian house from Brother priests in our house in Rome.
Challenges go on for us in Italy and the world, and you are right it is the greatest disaster of the this century.
When will it end which at this point in time Hungary is in a mess as is Italy and the world, but we have to keep the faith as the saying goes.
Go back in time when as Seminarians we studied with Pete Erdo in Rome.
Pete was conservative right from a communist run country that we witnessed ingrained in him was the ideas and philosophies of Catholicism being practiced under a communistic political system and regime.
Think he has never moved on from that core of his being post the fall of the iron curtain and 1989 on the new Hungary without communistic control of it’s government its people.
Pete was never going to be as you well know a “shaker and mover” but practice and follow the rules of his orders priestly duties never rocking the boat but low maintenance for his order knowing he was a traditionalist rather post Vatican 11 in his style of priestly conduct of his duties.
You are correct no resemblance to Cardinal Mindszenty nor Saint Pope John Paul 11 in character.
Pete never be seen vocally objecting to matters taking a position for the church or his children the 43% of Hungarian Catholics as there spiritual father, as you make correct reference, that challenge humanity and the quality of lives these faithful souls, in his appointment saw entrusted to him to serve his people be there rock look after them love and serve them lead them – them his children and the children of the almighty, given life through the grace and love of God.
Remember when we marched together as Seminarian in Rome what was 33 of us, wearing our black soutanes and white collars, supporting objection to abortion under the Catholic rule, in Italy at that time, the peacefulness and holiness serenity in fact of of march ?
Don’t recall Pete marched with us do you ?
The decision by the Rector if you recall was we could march with the leader out in front of us carrying a sign that simple read Abortion then underneath Wrong in the Word of God.
The march was a silent march – no cross conversation with citizens but silence.
Pete could do that there in Hungary.
Lead the faithful in a march – appoint a seminarian from Esztergon to march out in front carrying the placard with say on it Humanity & Dignity then underneath For ALL in Hungary.
The silent from your St. Stephens Basilica to your steps of Parliament then 10 minutes of silence only private prayer, then proceed back to St. Stephens Basilica by another same distanced route.
Image Pete going out on a wing and prayer leading and doing this ?
Miracles as you and I know do occur but this would not be considered nor entertained by Pete.
May send this on to him in the Palace in Esztergon, recommending he does few extra miles on his walking machine down stairs in the gym get himself fitter for this March of Silence.
Laudare, benedicere praedicare – my Brother always.
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