It is now the fourth year that our Foundation commemorates the passing of Otto von Habsburg. Archabbot Cirill T. Hortobágyi OSB performed the Holy Mass as before; however, this time was concelebrated by one of our guests, Markus St. Bugnyar, Rector of the Austrian Pilgrim Hospice to the Holy Family in Jerusalem.
Following the sermon, the discussion in the archival-pedagogical hall named after Otto von Habsburg attracted great interest. Gergely Prőhle, Director of our Foundation, referred to the heart urn of Otto, which was laid to rest in the basilica when he emphasised the primacy of ‘concordance’ – the harmonious state of the hearts of the celebrants – which opens up to transcendence, as opposed to the concept with the more rational connotations of ‘consensus’.
After the greetings, the head of the pilgrimage house gave a presentation on the history of the institution, outlining its connection with the Habsburg family, from the visit of Emperor Franz Joseph in 1869 to the stay of Otto von Habsburg and his wife Regina in 1955. Markus Bugnyar shared that our Foundation will publish the Hungarian translation of his book Reise nach Jerusalem (2020) in the near future and also envisaged further joint programmes.
In relation to this topic, our other foreign guest, Wolfgang Johannes Bandion, professor at the Academy for Religious Education of the Archdiocese of Vienna, recalled the history of the city with the Habsburg dynasty. He explained that the title had been used regularly by the rulers since the reign of Emperor Charles V. Although it was only in the 19th century that they first visited the land, in the person of Emperor Franz Joseph I, they all embraced the virtue of humility that was associated with the name of Jerusalem.
Ambassador János Hóvári, Head of the Organization of Turkic States Representation Office in Hungary, outlined the Hungarian aspects of the pilgrimage house, evoking the figures of the Hungarian members of Franz Joseph’s entourage, including Count Gyula Andrássy, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs. In addition to listing its rectors of Hungarian origin, Hóvári’s comprehensive presentation also revealed details of the eventful history of the joint Austro-Hungarian hospice. He concluded by recounting Otto von Habsburg’s tour of the Holy Land in 1955; and described the audience attending the ceremony of the former Crown Prince, who was awarded an honorary doctorate at the University of Jerusalem in 1990.
László András Király, Director of the Strategic and Planning Directorate of the Office of the President of Hungary and former Ambassador, referred to the pilgrimage site in Jerusalem as a reinforcement of our Christian identity. He expressed his hope that in the future, more and more Hungarian devotees will visit the Holy City and, within it, the memorial site that helps us experience our collective past.
Finally, Konrád Dejcsics OSB presented the plans for the forthcoming Otto Memorial. He stressed that it was essential for those visiting the place not to approach it as tourists but as pilgrims and that the prospective monument – the artwork of Zénó Kelemen, a sculptor present at the event – would reflect both the Benedictine roots and the Europeanism of the former heir to the throne.
Photos: Zoltán Szabó
