Hungary. The Pope met with young people in Budapest. Francis spoke about the war in Ukraine

On Saturday, the Pope continues his visit to St Hungary. In Budapest, in the sports hall named after the Hungarian Olympic boxing champion Laszlo Papp, he met with young people. About 11,000 people came to this event. Francis’ speech was often interrupted by enthusiastic cheers and applause.

The Holy Father referred to war in Ukrainewhich is adjacent to Hungary. The Hungarian-Ukrainian border is 300 kilometers from Budapest.

“A few miles from here, war and suffering are the order of the day,” he said. And he encouraged: – Let’s take life in our own hands to help the world live in peace.

Francis also said to young people: – We do not become great by elevating ourselves above others, but by leaning towards them. Not at the expense of others, but by serving others.

– You see, friends, Jesus is happy that we achieve great goals. He does not want us to be lazy and idle, he does not want us silent and timid. He wants us to be alive, active, actively shaping reality. And it never depreciates our expectations, but, on the contrary, raises the bar of our desires.

Answering the question of how to win in life, Francis said that “two basic steps lead to this, as in sport: first, aim high, second, train.” – Do you have talent? Surely yes! Don’t put it aside, thinking that you only need the bare minimum to be happy: a diploma, a job that will allow you to earn money, some entertainment. No, use what you have, he advised.

– Do you have any good quality? Invest in it without fear, the pope urged. – Do you feel in your heart that you have abilities that can bring good to many people? Do you feel that it is great to love the Lord, to create a large family, to help those in need? Do not think that these desires are unattainable, but invest in the great goals of life, he continued.

He argued that Jesus “listens to you, motivates you, believes in you, knows how to bring out the best in you.” “And he always invites you to play as a team: never alone, but with others, in the Church, in community, together, sharing common experiences,” he explained.

The Pope invited the Hungarians to the World Youth Day, which will take place in August in the capital Portugal, Lisbon. – Today there is a great temptation to settle for a mobile phone and a few friends. But even if a lot of people do that, even if that’s what we like, it’s not good,” he said.

Francis assessed that in these times, “amidst a thousand races, such a fast pace and haste, young people, as well as adults, lack one essential thing.” “We don’t give ourselves time to be silent in the hustle and bustle because we’re afraid of loneliness, and we end up exhausted every day,” he said.

He also appealed: – Do not be afraid to go against the current in this matter, find time for silence every day, to stop and pray.

– Today, everything tells you that you must be fast, efficient, practically perfect, like machines. But then we realize that we often run out of fuel and don’t know what to do. It does us good to stop to refuel, to recharge our batteries.

– But – note – not to wallow in my melancholy, to brood over my sorrows, or to wonder who did this or that to me, nor to make theories about the behavior of others. It doesn’t lead to anything good, he said.

According to Francis, silence has many benefits. – It allows you to pick up a book that you are not forced to read, but which helps us to read the human soul. It allows you to observe nature, not to limit contact only to things created by people and to discover the beauty that surrounds us – he enumerated. – Silence, however, does not serve to stick to mobile phones and social media. No, please: life is real, not virtual, it doesn’t happen on screen but in the world.

As he concluded, silence is “the door of prayer, and prayer is the door of love.”

Francis also referred to the figure of the Hungarian composer Ferenc Liszt, saying that “while cleaning his piano, some rosary beads were found, which may have fallen into the instrument when the rosary tore.” – They are a clue that tells us that before composing or concert, perhaps even after a moment of entertainment at the piano, Liszt used to pray. He talked with the Lord and the Mother of God about what he loved, and he dressed his art and his talents in prayer, he said.

According to the pope, “real people are very much needed.” He appealed not to live “halfway”.

– Friends, each of you is precious to Jesus, and to me too. Remember that no one can take your place in the history of the Church and the world: no one can do what only you can do.

The meeting was preceded by a concert during which young people applauded popular Hungarian performers. At the beginning of the meeting, Francis received a Rubik’s cube, invented by the Hungarian architect and sculptor Ernő Rubik.