Vatican releases logo and motto of Pope Francis' visit to Hungary

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

The Holy See Press Office released the official logo and motto on Wednesday for Pope Francis' Apostolic Journey to Hungary, on 28-30 April.

"Christ is our future" is the motto which will accompany the Pope's visit to the Hungarian capital of Budapest for his 41st visit abroad.

On Monday, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, announced the Pope would make the visit to the Eastern European nation after having accepted the invitation of the civil and ecclesial authorities to visit the country.

During his three-day journey, the Pope will visit with refugees and poor people, as well as with children of the Blessed László Batthyány-Strattmann Institute. He is also scheduled to celebrate Mass for the faithful, address authorities, the clergy and religious.

More than half of Hungarians are Christian, and at least 37 percent of the population identifies as Catholic.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, nearly 1 million Ukrainian nationals have travelled through Hungary as refugees, according to local sources.

Elements of logo and motto

The central part of the logo represents the Budapest Chain Bridge, the oldest Hungarian bridge over the Danube River.

A symbol of the capital city and the nation, it was originally built to connect the cities of Buda and Pest.

It evokes the idea, often referred to by the Holy Father, of the importance of building bridges between people.

The colours of the Holy See (yellow and white) and of Hungary (red, white and green) meet on the two piers of the bridge.

The logo is bordered by a circle symbolizing both the Eucharist and the world redeemed by Christ.

On the left side of the circle, is a cross recalling the address given by Pope Francis on 12 September 2021 in Budapest, in which he expressed the hope that the cross might become a bridge between the past and the future.

To the right of the circle is the motto, "Christ is our future", together with the words “Pope Francis in Hungary, 28-30 April 2023.”