Speech by Dr. Tamás Sulyok, President of Hungary, on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the reconstruction and reconsecration of the Basilica of Pannonhalma
Honourable Archabbot,
Honourable Bishops,
Reverend Benedictine Fathers,
Dear Benedictine Community,
Ladies and Gentlemen!
„Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
With respect and love, I welcome you all to Pannonhalma, in the house built on the rock, to the celebration of the eight hundredth anniversary of the consecration of the Basilica. We are all familiar with the concluding thought from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount."
The Rule of St Benedict also highlights it in its preamble.
In this holy place, this is not only a guiding parable, but also an everyday reality.
Pannonhalma was born at the same time as the Hungarian state. It survived the destructive storms of centuries, showing that it was built on unshakable, rock-solid foundations. Destroyed by fire, it was restored. Threatened by Tatar armies, it resisted victoriously. During the Ottoman wars, soldiers used it as a fortress, yet the clergy returned. King Joseph II dissolved the order, and a decade and a half later, it was widely regarded as a teaching order.
Persecuted under communism, it flourished again after the change of regime. Where the padded jacket militia raided after '56, the Holy Father asked for accommodation in '96. Repeatedly, "the streams rose and the winds blew ", but Pannonhalma did not collapse, because it had its foundation on a rock. The history of the Abbey was written with the history of the nation, while the Mount of St. Martin became one of the most prominent symbols of Christianity in Hungary.
Thousands of pilgrims have visited the church, where our founding king worshipped, for generations.
The monastery remained, with brief interruptions, the home of Benedictine monks. It seems impossible to estimate the many spiritual gifts and graces it has witnessed. From the newly professed of successive generations to the diamond and iron vows, how many eternal life-long commitments, how many Canonical hours, how many Masses celebrated within these walls! From St. Gellért the Benedictine to Father Olofsson Placid, ten centuries have passed. The genius loci, the spirit of the place, at once transports us back to historical times and reflects a creed that is timeless. An everlasting covenant between God and humanity. Between the Creator and the Hungarian nation.
However, a sacred place can never ignore the people who live there; it needs them. They bring it to life; they are the ones who hand down its values, in keeping with their vocation. What is true for Eger is also true for Pannonhalma: the strength of the walls is not in the stone, but in the soul of the defenders. The Benedictine monks give the Mount of St. Martin its unique heritage. More precisely, it is the faith they profess, the Benedictine way of life they strive to follow. Prayer and work, moderation and humility.
The founder of the order laid down the guiding principle in the Rule in the sixth century. Benedict deliberately built a community. He was the first to provide a model for the establishment and functioning of Western monastic orders. His order became a pillar of Christianity in Europe, and he himself became Europe’s patron saint. Pannonhalma has been and remains upheld by its fidelity to Benedictine values. That is why it is so uplifting to visit, teach, learn, pray and work here.
Distinguished Guests!
Today, on the celebration of the reconstruction and reconsecration of the 800-year-old church, each of us formulates in our own mind what links us to Pannonhalma, what we owe to the Benedictine Fathers. Years of secondary school, quality education, the silence and tranquillity of the basilica, cultural experiences, renewed faith. As the Head of State, in the name of Hungary, I would now like to offer my special thanks for Pannonhalma. For the Benedictines who live here, who pray for our country, and who work for the youth, the ecclesiastical and secular communities. For the teaching work they have done for generations to raise patriotic, Christian and capable intellectuals.
Moreover, for all the living Benedictine tradition that once uplifted Europe.
The moral foundation of Hungary is Christianity; the teachings of Christ consistently adhered to. The Ten Commandments. St. Martin's cloak cut in two. Benedict's life of prayer. The house built on a rock. Respect for fathers and mothers, children and families, love of our homeland, appreciation of the created world. No country and no society can function without a moral foundation and order.
The Holy Mount of Pannonia is not only historical and symbolic, but also plays an important role today in preserving Christianity in our country and thus securing the future of our nation. So that the generations that follow us will keep their faith and their Christian, Hungarian identity.
Pannonhalma is a place where the language of peace has been spoken for a thousand years. It is a language that the whole world desperately needs today. Discord and judgement, hatred and war will only lose ground where dialogue, respect and human dignity are given a place.
In all other places, the spirit of discord can easily find its way. In this place, the humanity of opponents is not questioned, rather, getting to know the conflicting arguments is seen as a core value, and the paved path of Christian fundamental values is never abandoned. Sin is sin. A good deed is a good deed. A neighbour is a neighbour. I believe that is why Pope Francis called Pannonhalma the bridge of brotherhood last year."
Mount Saint Martin is a special place where supernatural mysticism and the sobriety of two times two are both present and combined. The devotion of Mary and the diligence of Martha. Divine communion and daily activity. Heaven and earth. Ora et labora. The example of St Benedict speaks to the whole world today – of those who do great things and undertake to do good, while remaining small and humble.
Dear Benedictine Community gathered for this celebration!
If you are on the M1 motorway and not heading here, you will still be looking to the side at Győr. We are on the road; the Hungarian Monte Cassino is with us, standing out in the landscape.
We almost feel that we cannot just pass it by; we feel compelled to visit it again.
Pannonhalma is always a pleasure to return to. At the age of 16, I met Father Asztrik and Father Dávid Söveges here, and made lifelong friends with them. It is memorable for me to have been here for Archabbot Cirill’s blessing ceremony. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to meet Benedictine students of the secondary school at my lecture on constitutional law. I had the opportunity to enrich my thoughts at the conference held in memory of Otto von Habsburg. Last year, I attended the opening of the Jubilee Year.
All this is just a few personal impressions from a few years that have passed quickly. Seeing and celebrating a period spanning 800 years together is a strenuous challenge even for historians. That is why I will confine myself to what is most striking to me here. I believe that the Benedictine order demands discipline but gives freedom. It works with precise, clear concepts, like jurisprudence, and creates a transparent system of values. A basis that helps us to find our way in a world that is often out of touch with itself. "Serva ordinem et ordo servabit te."
This order links us to eternal values with fidelity and peace. It teaches us to see in the struggles of everyday life the human being in others and the divine in the world. As the poet Gáspár Nagy, a former student of Pannonhalma, confessed of his experiences here: '... the Benedictine spirit is like the style of the early Christian basilicas: serenity, generosity, harmony in God, "pax" prevail in it, and the striving for good and the struggle against evil never become a restless, feverish struggle that strains human strength...'.
It was this work of construction, which has been going on for centuries, that has raised the basilica high, preserved it and renewed it. This work of construction fulfils the truth that the house built on a rock cannot be pulled down. It is the glory of the author of the Sermon on the Mount.
On behalf of Hungary’s Christian population, I ask the Benedictine Fathers of Pannonhalma, in keeping with the Petrine vocation of the priesthood, to continue their prayers and work for the future of Hungary and our nation, as steadfast as a rock.
God bless all your lives! God bless Pannonhalma
(Pannonhalma, 27 August 2024)