Catholic ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania are mostly thrilled that the Pope is coming to say mass at alegendary shrine – but some eye the expected presence of Romanian politicians with mistrust.
Megjelent: 2019. február 13., Balkan Insight
Pope Francis is to visit Romania from May 31 to June 2. He will be the first pontiff to visit the most famous Catholic pilgrimage site in Transylvania – which once formed part of Hungary and is now mainly inhabitated by Romania’s ethnic Hungarian community.
Francis picked the place to visit himself, but other information about the itinerary has yet to be confirmed, Gyorgy Jakubinyi, Catholic Archbishop of Alba Iulia – Gyulafehervar in Hungarian – says.
Csiksomlyo – Sumuleu Ciuc in Romanian – is a village that now forms part of the town of Miercurea Ciuc – Csikszereda in Hungarian.
It is the capital of Hargita/Harghita county, and was founded in the 14th century.
It is also one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites in Szekelyfold, as the land of the ethnic Hungarians of eastern Transylvania, or Szekelys, is often known.
The Pentecost pilgrimage is normally the biggest religious event for Catholics in these regions; this pilgrimage has been recorded in ecclesiastical documents as far back as 1442.
Csiksomlyo had a vast church back in the 15th century, but various wars took their toll and it was destroyed in 1802. Today’s baroque cathedral was built between 1802 and 1824.
The most important object in the building by far is an pristine wooden statue of the Virgin with the infant Jesus, carved between 1515 and 1520.
The 500-year-old sculpture, standing 2.27 meters high, stars in many legends.
The most well known tells that, in 1661, when the Ottomans attacked the area and set fire to the church, the leader of the Ottoman troops saw that the statue was valuable, and wanted to take it with him.
Legend says it became so heavy that eight pairs of bullocks couldn’t move it. The angry chief cut the Virgin’s face and neck on the statue – marks that can still be seen.
There are other legends about the sculpture: some claim it glows, looks sad, or even weeps, when danger is nearby.
An important pilgrimage site for Catholics in Transylvania for half a millennium, since the regime change in Hungary and Romania, it has become an important meeting point for Hungarian nationalists, too.
That includes many supporters of the current Fidesz-led Hungarian government.
Although Francis will arrive one week before the big Pentecost mass, Catholics who attend the open-air papal mass will be counted as having been there at Pentecost as well, the archdiocese has confirmed.
A much bigger problem is that many Fidesz supporters dislike Pope Francis because of his liberal views on migration and some other issues.
Some even call him the “Soros Pope”, referencing the much-demonised liberal philanthropist George Soros, who was born in Hungary.
The well-known pro-government publicist Zsolt Bayer called Francis a demented old liberal in an opinion piece published in the summer of 2017.
Last April, he converted to Catholicism from Lutheranism, apparently after a Lutheran pastor condemned – among other things – the anti-migrant policies of Viktor Orban’s government in a sermon carried on TV.
For that reason, the Hungarian government may not be that anxious to help pilgrims attend the papal mass in Transylvania.
This is especially so as the Hungarian State News Agency, MTI, announced back in 2013 that Francis would visit Hungary in 2016.
That did not happen – although he may come around 2020. Meanwhile, he will be visiting rival and neighbour Romania somewhat sooner.
Despite its possible doubts, the Hungarian government late in January promised to support the papal visit to the tune of 63,000 euros in an initial grant.
The Hungarian state railway company, MAV, will send a charter train to the pilgrimage as well.
In Transylvania, most locals seem delighted by the news that the Pope will visit them.
“The elderly are unbelievably happy about it because this is a once in a lifetime experience for them. Probably for us too,” said Ildikó Szennyes, a shop assistant in the Szekely community.
“I won’t be so happy because I have to work on the days of these pilgrimages,” she added.
“We hope the crowd will be divided between the papal visit and the ordinary annual Pentecost mass,” Szennyes continued, eyeing the business opportunities.
Many non-religious visitors are expected to show up, for example from the large Roma minority.
Rooms in local hotels and guesthouses are already booked, so villagers are cannily renting out their houses for high prices.
But not all Szekelys are impressed about the visit. Farmers worry that pilgrims often ignore designated roads and march through ploughed fields and meadows.
Second, as an important event, the pilgrimage will draw Romania’s political class – not much liked by Romanian Hungarians, who allege second-class status in Romania.
The guests will probably include the Romanian President, the Prime Minister and various ministers.
Ildikó Szennyes says many fellow Szekelys are far from keen on them coming.
“It looks like the Romanian political and religious elite is working on a symbolic territorial grab. Csiksomlyo is an area for Catholic Szekelys, but we fear that with the Pope’s visit, many Romanian will come with their flags and the Romanian police will secure the events,” she said.
A text shared by many Szekely users on Facebook warns that the shrine risks being desecrated by the papal visit because of the presence of the Romanian elite.
The church meanwhile says there will be some infrastructural renovations and developments in the area of the shrine. The road leading to the altar, called Three Hills, above Csiksomlyo will be renovated. There will be some other minor developments as well.
But some locals are still fretting. “They just want to show to the world, how good life is for the Hungarians in Romania. Please, leave us to be Szekelys – and don’t bother us,” Ildikó Szennyes concluded.
Bence Földi journalist 