Order of Malta

Bishop Jean Laffitte, Prelate of the Order of Malta, visited Hungary on 7-8 December at the invitation of Kristóf Szabadhegÿ, President of the Hungarian Association of the Order, to meet with its chaplains, hold discussions with the Association and celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception together. He was accompanied by Count János Esterházy, Receiver of the Common Treasury, who is himself a member of the Hungarian Association.

The guests first visited the Parliament building, where, after having paid their respects to the Holy Crown of Hungary, they were recieved by the Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén. After their reception, the chaplains of the Order and the guests from Rome held a discussion in one of the ornate halls of the building. During this, the chaplains, led by the Chief Chaplain Bishop Ferenc Cserháti, reported on their activities and held discussions with the Prelate on current issues related to the defence of the Faith and to the chaplains’ tasks as they relate to the mission of the Order,  „tuitio fidei et obsequium pauperum”.

The regular Thursday evening Mass of the Association was celebrated by the Prelate, in the church of the Stigmata of St. Francis. The Latin-language Mass, attended by nearly fifty members, was co-celebrated by six chaplains: Bishop Ferenc Cserháti, Mons. Paul Bolberitz, József Török, Imre Kozma, Zoltán Pásztor and Lorenzo Pásztor. The Chief Chaplain greeted the Prelate in Italian at the beginning of Mass, and gave a homily in Hungarian, focusing on the Virgin conceived without sin as the archetype of the God-focused human being. After Mass, the Prelate was given the opportunity to meet members of the Association.

On Friday, December 8, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Bishop Jean Laffitte and his entourage made the pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Mátraverebély-Szentkút, celebrating Mass in the sanctuary church for the pilgrims and members of the Order who had travelled there. The Mass was co-celebrated by Bishop Ferenc Cserháti, Zoltán Pásztor and Lorenzo Pásztor, and Lóránt Orosz, OFM, the new Director of the sanctuary. The Prelate, in his homily said in Italian (and distributed to the audience in Hungarian translation) emphasised: „In our Order of St. John of Jerusalem, we are mandated to help our Lords the poor and sick. But when we read the Constitution of the Order, we realise that this is not the final reason for our membership in the Order: the highest aim of the Order is to give glory to God through service to the poor and the sick. To give glory to God: in other words, to live in His grace and of His grace.”

On their return to Budapest, the guests were received by Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest – who is himself a member of the Order, with the rank of Bailiff Grand Cross – in the archbishop’s residence in Buda Castle; there they had the opportunity to discuss the most important issues affecting the Church and the Order of Malta.

Bishop Jean Laffitte, who is a passionate lover of the arts, was then taken to see the exhibition of the masterpieces of the Hungarian Museum of Fine Arts, which are exhibited in the National Gallery: some  of the masterpieces elicited his truly exceptional interest.

Bishop Laffitte’s visit will soon be followed by another one, since the Order is organising an international conference of its Hospitallers in Budapest next March: more than 80 national delegations are expected, and the Prelate of the Order will also be present.

The Prelate is the superior of the Chaplains of the Order of Malta as regards their priestly duties, and supervises their work in the spirit of the spirituality of the Order. The Prelate is appointed by the Holy Father, from a list of three candidates proposed by Grand Master on the basis of a decision of the Sovereign Council. Mgr. Jean Laffitte took over this post from Archbishop Angelo Acerbi on 4 July 2015.