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Pope Francis, who was once a literature professor, often makes references to great poets or writers in his addresses. Particularly when he makes an apostolic visit, or speaks to a particular country, he often draws from the great writers who have formed their culture.
On his trip this September 12 to Budapest, he again called on the lessons of poetry, speaking of "all those friends of God who shone his light on the darkness of this world."
He was addressing representatives of the Ecumenical Council of Churches and some of Hungary's Jewish communities.
This time, his reference was to "Miklós Radnóti, a great poet of this country. His brilliant career was cut short by the blind hatred of those who, for no other reason than his Jewish origins, first prevented him from teaching and then separated him from his family."
While imprisoned in a concentration camp -- in what the Pope called "the darkest and most depraved chapter of human history" -- the poet continued to write. Only one collection of his poems survived the Shoah, called the Bor Notebook.
"Our voices, dear brothers and sisters, must not fail to echo that Word given us from Heaven, echoes of hope and peace," the Pope said. "Even if no one listens or we are misunderstood, may our actions never deny the Revelation to which we are witnesses."
The Pope continued citing Radnóti's work. The poet wrote, "I am now myself a root... Once a flower, I have become a root” (Bor Notebook, Root).
The Pope said:
The Pope urged forming these roots by "listening to the Most High and to others," so as to "reach the heights," and to become "roots of peace and shoots of unity," thus being credible in the eyes of the world.
The Holy Father, who will turn 85 in December, concluded his address with a light-hearted apology:
