The President of Hungary, Katalin Novak, will participate, on Saturday, in the Catholic Pentecost pilgrimage from Şumuleu Ciuc, considered the largest of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe. The information was confirmed, on Wednesday, in a press conference, by the rector of the Franciscan church in Şumuleu Ciuc, father Timár Sándor Asztrik, who said that the president of Hungary is of the reformed denomination, but will participate “with great piety” in the pilgrimage.
“Yes, he will be here on pilgrimage. The lady president is of the reformed religion, but she comes with great piety here, to Şumuleu, the first time she comes”, said father Timár Sándor Asztrik. Also, the former president of Hungary, Ader Janos, will participate in the event, as he is present every year, together with his wife, during the pilgrimage from Şumuleu Ciuc.
The solemn service on Pentecost Saturday, from the saddle of the Şumuleu hill, the place of pilgrimage, will be officiated by Monsignor Dr. Gergely Kovács, archbishop of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Alba Iulia, and the sermon will be delivered by Father Urban Eric, the Franciscan provincial of Transylvania.
The event will begin on Friday evening, at 6:00 p.m., when an opening liturgy of the pilgrimage will be celebrated in the Franciscan church, the pilgrims being expected to pray in the place of worship all night, and another service will be celebrated on Saturday morning, from at 7:00.
Father Timár Sándor Asztrik said that many pilgrims will come to the procession from the country but also from Hungary, the presence of pilgrims from Australia, Sweden or the USA being announced. Also, many believers, especially those from Harghita, but also some from Hungary, will come on foot to the place where the liturgy will be celebrated on Pentecost Saturday.
Present at the press conference, the mayor of Miercurea-Ciuc, Attila Korodi, said that more than 300,000 people are expected to attend the event, pointing out that the authorities are prepared for the pilgrimage.
“We are ready for the Pentecost pilgrimage, we expect a large number of pilgrims like last year. Our estimates, last year, were over 300,000 people, we do not expect more people, because we are already in a normal period, in which all those who want to reach the Pentecost pilgrimage have already decided and taken the steps important.
We happily organized a pilgrimage in optimal, normal conditions, together with the Franciscan monastery. Fortunately, what happened last year, when the conditions were the same, showed that our decisions of road closures in certain sections of the entrance to the city, which are used for parking or thorough organization of what happens around the basilica or up in the Şumuleu saddle, they were correct and we hope that this year will happen under the same conditions”, declared Korodi.
He also said that traffic will be closed in the pilgrimage area from Friday evening, and those staying in the surrounding area must arrive at the accommodation facilities on Friday afternoon. He wanted to add that there will be many vehicle access restrictions in the area until Sunday afternoon, but it will be possible to get there without problems on foot. The mayor urged people to take care of each other, to be able to enjoy the Catholic Pentecost pilgrimage.
“All the institutions are prepared, Salverea, all those who, together with us, make sure that everyone is safe. But the motto is that: we all have to take care of each other, because when we are talking about 300,000 people, if we don’t take care of others, we can’t have the joy of the pilgrimage from Şumuleu and the Pentecost holidays. So I am convinced that this year will happen in the same way”, said the mayor.
Korodi did not confirm the presence of the Hungarian president, stating that “everything is organized by the lady president’s team”, but said that, most likely, “a lot of political decision-makers from both Romania and Hungary” will participate in the pilgrimage.
Editor: Adrian Dumitru
