Pope Francis left Budapest tonight after a hugely successful visit, where hundreds of thousands followed his official program spread over three days, and all major media outlets praised the effectiveness of the events. In his message on Sunday at Kossuth Square, he called on world leaders to build peace, praying for a future filled with cradles and not graves. The Catholic leader closed his speech in Hungarian saying, “God bless the Hungarians!”

Pope Francis entrusted all Hungarians, the faith and future of the European continent, and the cause of peace to the Virgin Mary, the Great Lady of the Hungarians. At the end of the Mass, he prayed to the Virgin Mary to look upon the suffering peoples, especially the “neighboring, tortured Ukrainian and Russian people, and your dedicated people.”

He asked the “Queen of Peace” to instill in the hearts of leaders and peoples the desire to build peace, to offer hope for the future of the next generation, not war; a future filled with cradles, not graves; a world filled with brothers and sisters, not walls.

He also prayed to the Virgin Mary for the Church in Europe to rediscover the power of prayer, to rediscover the humility and obedience of Mary, the enthusiasm of testimony, and the beauty of preaching.

Pope Francis thanked the entire Hungarian people for the reception and love he experienced during his visit to Hungary. “I am grateful to you for these days; I carry you in my heart and ask you to pray for me,” he said, closing his speech in Hungarian: “God bless the Hungarians!”

Source: MTI