Cardinal Erdö on the eve of the Assumption: Faith is the most important thing in life

Cardinal Peter Erdö, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest (Hungary), affirms that faith is the most important thing in life, something he learned from his parents, most clearly during the years that communism ruled in the European country.

In an interview with Vatican Radio and Vatican News On August 14, within the framework of the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and King Saint Stephen of Hungary, which in the European country is celebrated on August 20, the Cardinal recalled how he learned the faith from his parents .

“First of all, it was my parents, our family, because not only did we pray at home, we talked about religious holidays, we went to Church together, but my father also transmitted catechism to us,” said the 72-year-old Hungarian cardinal.

“And then we found out that my father, who had been a jurist, could not practice his profession because he was considered too religious. “My mother, who was a teacher, couldn’t teach her because she was considered too religious,” she continued.

“And so we saw what was the most important thing in life. Without a doubt, faith came first. And that is why my parents did not experience it in a tragic way, but in a natural way, that is, with the naturalness of believing that God is supreme. And that religion is the most important thing in our lives,” the archbishop stressed.

After World War II, Hungary became part of the communist bloc led by the Soviet Union. In 1949 the People’s Republic of Hungary was born, a totalitarian system that also considered the Church as an enemy; and that lasted until 1989: 50 years of communism in a country with deep Christian roots.

Cardinal Erdö also indicated in the interview that “if faith is the most important thing in life, then serving the faith of others, transmitting the faith, teaching the faith and, above all, administering it in the liturgy, are the things bigger than life.”

“The most important things one can do and the most useful, also for the salvation of others. This is the main motivation I felt as a child. And so little by little I came to the decision to enter the seminary”, until reaching his priestly ordination in 1975.

The prayer life of Cardinal Erdö

“My prayer life began when I was in high school. He always began the day with the Hymn of Charity from the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians and ended it by praying the Te Deum. So prayer gave a framework to my days,” shared the cardinal when asked about how he lives this Year of Prayer in preparation for the Jubilee of 2025.

“My spiritual father had recommended that I meditate a little on the Holy Scripture: no more than ten minutes, every day. A passage from the New Testament is also a great help in guiding me in life in this year of prayer that is taking place,” he continued.

The cardinal also referred to the importance of praying the Rosary.

“Then in the diocese there are personal programs, community programs, the Rosary every first Saturday at 10 in the morning. And there is a prayer in front of St. Stephen’s Basilica, in the square, where people kneel and pray the Rosary, which is a great testimony before the world,” he remarked.

Speaking later about Saint Stephen, Cardinal Erdö highlighted that the monarch “dedicated his crown and his country to Our Lady. Hungary was the first country that, according to tradition, was consecrated to the Virgin and that is why the Virgin is venerated in Hungary as the patron saint of our people.”

“It is a joy to know that there are many other towns that have also chosen the Virgin Mary as their patron saint, because the same Mother can have more than one child.”