The docufilm “The Letter” with subtitles in Hungarian was presented in Budapest on April 19, in an event promoted by the Caritas in Veritate Commission of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Hungarian Order of the Society of Jesus, with organization by the Ferenc Faludi Jesuit Academy.

Before the movie screening, participants were greeted by Gábor Nevelős SJ, host of the presentation, Zoltán Koronkai SJ, on behalf of the Hungarian Jesuit order, and Bishop János Székely, President of the Caritas in Veritate Commission. After the Bishop’s speech, Zsanett Banlaki of the Caritas in Veritate Commission read the text of the videomessage prepared for the event by Cecilia Dall’Oglio, Associate Director of European Programs of the Laudato Si’ Movement (here her videomessage)

Among participants in the event: Lajos Varga, assistant bishop of Vác; Gábor Németh, office director of the Secretariat of the Bishops’ Conference; Emma Németh SSS, head of the Hungarian Women’s Order Conference; Marianna Barcsák, head of the Catholic Pedagogical Institute (KaPi) and many monks and lay believers committed to the protection of creation.

Film screening was followed by a round table discussion with Bishop János Székely, Gábor Nevelős SJ, Jesuit representative of the JTMR-FFJA Comprehensive Ecology Workshop, Prof. Dr. József Benedek, head of the JTMR-FFJA Comprehensive Ecology Workshop, Dr. Eszter Szabó, Laudato Si Animator Training Coordinator.

Sponsors of the screening were Association Canticle of the Sun (Naphymnusz Egyesület), Salesians, EcoOne/Focolare Movement, 72 Disciples Movement, Hungarian Scout Association, Rádió Mária, Pannonhalmi Archabbey, Magyar Kurír, Catholic Pedagogical Institute.

The event was promoted as an opportunity of  spiritual preparation for the apostolic visit of Pope Francis to Hungary (Budapest) happening from 28 to 30 April (link) and follows a growing collaboration of the Laudato Si’ Movement with the HUngarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and Ass. Canticle of the Sun.

The Laudato Si’ Movement together with the Caritas in Veritate Commission of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Canticle of the Sun Association promoted last year the first “Laudato Si’ Animators Training Program” in Hungarian language, and have recently launched the second edition that started on April 13. The program of the sessions is available on the  Laudato Si’ Animators webpage in Hungarian. Among speakers, Ürge-Vorsatz Diana, vice-president of IPCC.

To implement the LSA program in Hungary, a partnership in a synodality style of working together for a Church to be a sacrament of care was established. In Hungary, the training is held in collaboration with Franciscans, EcoOne/Focolare Movement, 72 Disciples Movement, Salesians, Hungarian Scout Association, Rádió Mária, Pannonhalmi Archabbey, School Sisters of Our Lady, Faludi Ferenc Akadémia, which represent the diversity and richness of charisms in the Church, walking together to live Laudato si’ in Hungary in their own networks.

These organizations, together with Magyar Kurír and Catholic Pedagogical Institute, are now supporting community screenings of the docufilm “The Letter”. The Association Canticle of the Sun is leading this effort.  

Movie screenings, that are now encouraged in particular in view of the Pope’s apostolic visit, can be registered at this link.