“Not man, but God is the real protagonist of history”: this principle was recalled during the liturgy held on 2 September to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the consecration of the basilica of Esztergom. The mass was officiated by Cardinal Péter Erdo, in the presence of numerous authorities. “The cathedral is a symbol of divine providence which, after many devastations and tribulations, made possible the renewal of life, of Christianity and of the Hungarian people”, said Erdo in his homily, as reported by the Hungarian Catholic press agency Magyar Kurír. Following the mass, the refurbished building of the Major Seminary, the St. Adalbert Centre, was inaugurated. “As a conference centre – explained János Székely, assistant director of the centre -, it will be a bridge between one person and another, and between the various disciplines of science. As a centre of spirituality, it will build bridges between God and man. But especially it will build bridges between the mother country and Upper Hungary, between Hungary and Slovakia”, through a convention of partnership between the theological faculties of the two countries, which will permit Hungarian-speaking Slovakian students to study there. The restored building will also house, apart from the St. Adalbert Centre, the Theological Academy of Esztergom and its rich library; the capitulary Archive; the new department of the Christian Museum; and eight new classrooms for the János Vitéz Catholic Teacher-Training College.
