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The Pope celebrates Holy Mass at the Csíksomlyó shrine
On June 1, 2019, the second day of his voyage to Romania, Pope Francis visited the most important Marian shrine of the Magyar people, Csíksomlyó, where he celebrated Mass at the site of the traditional Pentecost mass pilgrimages, the Three Hills Altar in the saddle between the two Somlyó mountains.
The Holy Mass was attended by delegations from the Hungarian and Romanian Associations of the Order, together with Dr. Franz Salm-Reifferscheidt, Ambassador of the Order to the Roma people.
Members of the Romanian Charity Service of the Order, led by their Secretary-general Ferenc Tischler, played an active role. The first aid team, together with the State ambulance team, intervened in 126 cases. Another team supervised the baby tent, where mothers could breastfeed and change diapers. A third team transported handicapped pilgrims and took care of them in a reserved section. Other volunteers helped as needed on the mountainside.
The event, attended by over a hundred thousand people, was transmitted live by Hungarian, Italian and Vatican TV. In his homily, the Holy Father reflected on the meaning of pilgrimage, its power to transform and to create bonds of brotherhood. The homily can be read in various languages on the Vatican website: for the English version, click here. A link to the Hungarian translation is given on the Hungarian version of this page.
At the end of Mass, the Pope gifted the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Csíksomlyó - which had been taken out of the votive church at the foot of the mountain and taken up to the Three Hills altar for the occasion - with the historical papal Golden Rose. An article on the historical significance of the statue and of the Golden Rose award can be read (in Hungarian only) by clicking here.
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