On Saturday morning, 29 April, after celebrating Holy Mass in private, Pope Francis left Budapest’s Apostolic Nunciature and travelled by car to the Blessed László Batthyány-Strattmann Institute. He was received at the main entrance and shown around by the Institute’s Director, Gyögy Inotay. Before leaving the Institute, the Director accompanied the Pope to the Hall of Labours, on the ground floor, where he met with and briefly greeted the employees of the Institute. The Pope also stopped to greet a group of around 100 children and young people from a nearby parish dedicated to Saint Laszlo; they greeted him with prayers and hymns. The following is a translation of the Pope’s impromptu greeting to those present.
Many thanks to you all for your welcome and your tenderness. Thank you for your hymns, your gestures, your eyes. Thank you, Mr Director, for wanting to begin this act with the prayer of Saint Francis, which is a plan for life. Because the Saint always asks for the grace that where there is nothing I can do something, when something is lacking I can do something. In a journey from reality, as it is. Move it forward. Make that reality go forward. And this is the pure Gospel. Jesus came to take reality as it was and to carry it forward. It would have been easier to take ideas, ideologies, and go forward with them without taking reality into account. This is the evangelical path; this is Jesus’ path. And this is what you, Mr Director, wished to express with the prayer of Saint Francis. Thank you. And thanks to you all!