Praying for Peace in Lourdes

The closing liturgy, which is the peak of the three-day ecclesiastical-military pilgrimage, was led by Antoine de Romanet, Bishop of the French Armed Forces. At the liturgy held in the spirit of the motto “Pilgrims of hope”, he emphasized that both the 65th International Military Pilgrimage and the closing mass tried to enhance the soldiers’ spiritual strengthening, deepen their commitment to peace and maintain comradeship among nations.

At the Holy Mass, more than 15 thousand servicemembers participated together with their relatives, representing some 40 nations. The mass was offered in Latin and French, the prayer of the faithful was also read in English, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish and Hungarian, while military bands and choirs also contributed to the celebration.

Following the liturgy, diplomatic and ecclesiastical delegations of the participating nations took a picture together. The Hungarian military pilgrim contingent, consisting of more than two hundred people, also participated in a formal photoshoot in the square in front of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. In what followed, Lieutenant General Zoltán Mihócza, Deputy Chief (Territorial Defence) of the HDF Defence Staff, and Brigadier General Tibor Berta handed over appreciations to the organizer members of the group of pilgrims. The pilgrimage in Lourdes ended with a farewell celebration.

Lourdes Always Shows a Different Face

According to the summary by Brigadier General Tibor Berta, those who participate in the pilgrimage in Lourdes year by year can realise the message of the Gospel in their everyday lives. He said, “adjusting to the proverbs and sermons of Jesus, we can tell the pilgrims that they are the leaven, the lamp, the mustard seed, who convey the Gospel to those who could not be there in Lourdes”. He added that upon returning home, participants can show the face of the Church and Jesus Christ to their own communities.

The bishop first participated in the pilgrimage in 1994, and since then, he has visited the pilgrimage site in the Pre-Pyrenees more than 25 times. He said that the pilgrimage can transmit new messages every year. “Different motto, different message, different soldiers. Lourdes always shows a different face”, he emphasized. He added that the Hungarian participation has been characterised by an increasing spiritual intensity and discipline.

Zsolt Barthel-Rúzsa, MoD State Secretary for the Control of Military National Security, told us that it was an honour for him to participate in the events in Lourdes together with the soldiers. Due to his theological degree, he could relate to the series of events not only as a governmental leader.

“Lourdes is the place of miracles, whether one is Catholic or non-religious. The greatest things happen silently, God’s address to someone is not necessarily boisterous”, he said about the message of the 1858 apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous (St. Bernadette) in Lourdes.

Reserve Sergeant Milán Mudra, serving with the HDF 1st Territorial Defence Regiment, participated in the pilgrimage as a religious young man and a student of the Pázmány Péter Catholic University in history and religious studies. He said that “serving the homeland goes hand-in-hand with serving for God. Sacrificial love can give itself for the homeland and fellow humans.”

Adél Gyenes, officer cadet of the HDF Ludovika Battalion, told us that she had long wished to participate in the pilgrimage, about which she had heard a lot from Captain Kornél Horváth, the Catholic military chaplain of the battalion. “When we marched through the town in a parade, civilian pilgrims stopped and took photos, videos of us, and the soldiers of other nations saluted us. It was a moving experience! The presence of more than 15 thousand people at the opening and closing events also touched me”, said the 19-year-old student.