City Mission Budapest 2007

Plans are well under way for the ICNE (International Congress for New Evangelisation) event in Budapest later this year.

ICNE is an initiative founded at the beginning of the millennium by four cardinal archbishops from European capital cities, Jean-Marie Lustiger of Paris, Christoph Schönborn of Vienna, Godfried Danneels of Brussels and Jose da Cruz Policarpo of Lisbon. Later Peter Erdö of Budapest joined the group.

The plan was and is to vitalise the Church in the urban environment, especially by organising annual congresses (called City Missions) in each of the capitals.

The first such congress was in Vienna in 2003, then Paris 2004, Lisbon 2005 and most recently Brussels 2006.

This year in Budapest, from September 16th to 22nd, there will be a number of central events (such as lectures and seminars, workshops and discussions and eucharistic and other celebrations) as well as numerous decentralised activities in the various parishes of the city.

Then, importantly, there are the evangelisation rallies, which are held on stages erected in city streets and squares, shopping centres , stations, etc.

For the city of Budapest, capital of formerly Communist-controlled Hungary, this congress will offer one of the first opportunities to reflect on the past one and a half decades of freedom and their consequences for the faith and the Church.

Thus Cardinal Erdö writes in his letter of welcome:

"In the last one and a half decades we have savoured the taste of freedom which has also brought us many disappointments and raised the issue of justice without providing an answer, that is complete justice, also for the weakest members of our society. We still wear the spiritual wounds of our people ,which have been transmitted from generation to generation and we are still looking, even today, for our ephemeral advantage, often in an absent-minded, even psychologically disturbed way. It is hard for us to find a comprehensive, optimistic outlook. We hardly feel the attraction and promise of the future. But Jesus did not invite us to be despondent."

"If we turn to Him and join in His sacrifice, laying before Him all our worries and even our collective destiny, if we drink from the cup given by Him, then our life can truly light up again."