Spending time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament can heal Christians from a self-absorbed religiosity that is ostentatious and triumphalist, Pope Francis said.
Presiding over the closing Mass of the International Eu-charistic Congress September 12, the Pope urged people to make time for Eucharistic adoration.
“Let us allow Jesus, the living bread, to heal us of our self-absorption, open our hearts to self-giving, liberate us from our rigidity and self-concern, free us from the paralyzing slavery of defending our image, and inspire us to follow him wherever he would lead us,” he said.
After departing from Rome’s Fiumicino in the early morning, the pope told journalists aboard the flight that the papal trip had “a bit of a farewell feeling” due to it being the last time that Bishop-designate Guido Marini would serve as papal master of ceremonies. The Pope named the bishop-designate to lead the Diocese of Tortona, Italy.
Pope Francis also noted that it was the final papal flight aboard Alitalia, which will shutter operations in October after serving 75 years as Italy’s national airline.
Landing in Budapest, the pope was welcomed by Hun-garian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén. He then made his way to the Museum of Fine Arts near the site of the closing Mass of the International Eucharistic Congress.
The Vatican said Pope Francis met privately with Hungarian President János Áder, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Semjén for roughly 40 minutes “in a cordial atmosphere.”
“Among the various topics discussed were the role of the church in the country, the commitment to the protection of the environment, the protection and promotion of the family,” the Vatican said.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Orbán, who views migration as a threat to Europe’s Christian identity, said, “I asked Pope Francis not to let Christian Hungary perish.”
Pope Francis, arriving in his pope mobile, was greeted warmly by thousands who lined the street leading toward the Mass site in Heroes’ Square.
In the homily, Pope Francis reflected on the Sunday Gospel reading, in which Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”