The Romanian Protection and Guard Service (SPP, the local equivalent of the U.S. Secret Service) had a Hungarian inscription covered on the garment Pope Francis wore during the Mass at the Csíksomlyó (Romanian: Sumuleu CIuc) pilgrimage site on June 1, during his three-day visit to Romania, Transylvanian Hungarian-language news site Krónika reports.
The garment – designed by ecclesiastic artist Cristina Sabău-Trifu – was completed one week ahead of the ceremony and on the back it featured an image of the Virgin Mary and pilgrims, complete with the inscription “Járjunk Együtt” (Hungarian for “Let Us Walk Together” – the official Vatican motto of the papal visit.
Krónika reports that a few days before the papal visit an SPP officer doing preliminary checks asked the Transylvanian provincial (regional leader) of the Franciscan order whether it is true that the garment sports a Hungarian inscription.
When the answer was yes, he ordered them to add a strip of fabric to the garment covering the Hungarian text. The garment itself has previously been fully authorized by the Vatican.
Title image: Pope Francis during the Csíksomlyó Mass on June 1 (source: Vatican News)
