by Gordon Nary
Gordon: Where were you born? Please share with us one of your favorite childhood memories.
Ervin: I was born in Hungary in the city of Tatabánya, which is one of 19 Hungarian administrative centers, located on the Vienna-Budapest transport axis, 60 km from the capital. It is an industrial city with significant coal deposits, the creation of which was significantly contributed to by the economic policy of the communist regime that emerged in Hungary after World War II, which preferred heavy industry.
However, the city is built on four smaller prior settlements, two of which (including my home parish) are connected to residents of German nationality and one of Slovak nationality. In other words, this multiculturalism was the greatest experience of my childhood. Just to give you a better idea, we regularly sang German hymns in the parish church during the Holy Mass in addition to Hungarian.
Also, at Christmas, besides the traditional Hungarian nativity scene, the “Christkindl”, which preserves ancient German traditions, cannot be left out. I remember that when I was a child, when I cycled to my parents' weekend house, I often met “Tot” (ancient Hungarian expression for Slovak ethnic group) old ladies who spoke the Slovak dialect inherited from their ancestors. I am very grateful for this special cultural heritage, which laid the foundation for my interest in the international environment and the cooperation of peoples.
I grew up in a very cordial environment. My parents raised me simply and taught me honesty and straightforwardness. I remember many beautiful childhood experiences and stories from the family, school and parish community.
Yet, looking back, today I would say that the greatest experience that defined my childhood was experiencing those few years that were characterized by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the democratic change in Central Europe.
I think I inherited my enthusiasm for history, geography and geopolitics from my father. Even as a child, I loved watching TV programs on world politics at the time. Obviously, I understood only a little of it. The images of the Iraq-Iran war are etched in my memories. I remember being a small child, walking with family friends, and listing the great leaders of the world and their countries. The adults watched in amazement. Such children were usually interested in TV stars, sportsmen or singers.
I was nine years old when events in Hungary and Central Eastern Europe accelerated. In the summer of 1989, the Iron Curtain fell, the border between Austria and Hungary was reopened in connection with a protest-event called the “Pan-European Picnic”. East German tourists stranded in Hungary were free to leave for the West. At the end of the same year, a civil uprising led to the fall of the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu.
Romania, with its significant Hungarian minority, embarked on the difficult path of democratic development. We cannot forget the iconic image of the demolition of the Berlin Wall. My father was working as a guest worker in Berlin at the time. I will never forget the enthusiasm with which he came home after several months of absence and told how the Germans celebrated the “Wiedervereinigung” (Reunification). Then came the protracted war in the Balkans, and in a matter of moments, a country considered prosperous and progressive in the Eastern bloc, Yugoslavia, fell apart. In just a few years, Hungarian society underwent incredible changes that we don’t even think about.
An interesting experience: When I was a little child, Soviet soldiers were still stationed, “temporarily,” in Hungary. These Soviet soldiers were outwardly simple, cheerful boys. As kids, we often asked our parents for a cigarette, which we could exchange for Soviet military badges with these cheerful guys from various parts of the Soviet Union. Only a few years later, on the Vienna-Budapest railway line, which also passes through my hometown, we could observe the trains that transported US tanks and military vehicles in khaki camouflage from bases in Germany to direction Iraq during the first Gulf War.
When I later worked as a diplomat in Moscow and then Baghdad, I often recalled these childhood flashbacks, to which I had not previously attached any particular importance.
Today we do not even realize how great a challenge the transformation of the 1990s was for the small nations of Central Europe. Not only companies, businesses, jobs, but also entire industries disappeared overnight, which were not needed in the new economic environment, or not as much as before. It was difficult to evaluate what to do with the legacy of the communist past, especially in the field of the political life and the culture.
There was an extremely strong feeling of uncertainty and anxiety. All sectors of life were characterized by the search for a way out, seeking for new values we would like to build our lives from now on. I believe that we still pay little attention to the events and traumas of the 1990s in Central Europe, even though these events still affect the situation today. When you ask me about my childhood, I remember the very exciting yet uncertain atmosphere of that decade.
Gordon: What colleges and universities did you attend, what degrees did you earn at each of them, who was your favorite teacher, and why was that teacher your favorite, and what was your favorite course, and why that course your favorite?
Ervin: I finished primary school in my hometown. Then, at the age of 14, influenced by my friends, I started studying at the College of the Benedictine Archabbey of Pannonhalma. Pannonhalma is a town in western Hungary. According to the Catholic tradition, Saint Martin of Tours was born here at the beginning of the 4th century. The Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma was founded in 996 by Saint Stephen, the first Christian king of Hungary, making it the first continuously operating Christian institution in the country.
Throughout its thousand-year history, the institution has always been a bastion of Hungarian Christianity, intellectually, culturally, but also in a very real sense during the Ottoman wars. At its heart is an 800-year-old Gothic Basilica church, surrounded by a 300-year-old Baroque complex and a 200-year-old library building. The College is the youngest building, founded during World War II for the promotion of humanities and Italian culture. When I enrolled, I had to choose between Latin or Italian as the first foreign language I would learn. I answered that, of course, I would choose Italian, because I would not become a priest and need to learn Latin. At the same time, Italian is at least a living and useful language. The opposite happened. It was precisely the knowledge of Italian I acquired here that later led me to the Vatican diplomatic service.
This high school was an ideal environment for a child interested in history and humanities. We had very dedicated Benedictine and lay educators and teachers, whom I still think of with gratitude and respect. Although this boarding school was still quite “Prussian” at the time, I have heard that the situation has improved a lot since then. Under the influence of the great Benedictine theologians here, I became acquainted with and delved into theology, and then, as a result, I chose the priesthood. I became acquainted with Benedictine spirituality (Ora et labora) and liturgy, which are still a great spiritual resource for me today. At that time, I was convinced that only the Catholic faith and knowledge of the Christian cultural heritage could help the society in Hungary to recover from the legacy of the communist dictatorship. So, an interest in religious studies and a commitment to the social role of the Church have always played an important role in the development of my vocation.
I must mention an important flashback here: When I was a student there, the Archabbey celebrated the millennium of its foundation in 1996. This jubilee year was a great experience, the crowning achievement of which was the visit of Pope St. John Paul II. Although I only saw the (now Holy) Pope when he greeted us from the balcony of the Archabbot's suite, everyone felt the importance of this visit 7 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain.
After the Benedictine high school, I became a diocesan seminarian and went to Budapest to study theology at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University, the so-called Central Seminary. This institution was established in 1805, and its mission was to provide the best philosophical, theological and humanistic education of the time to seminarians selected from the entire territory of Ancient Hungary. This institution, because of its proximity to the University of Budapest, played an important role not only in intellectual life, but also during events such as the 1848 revolution (the Spring of the Nations) and the 1956 war of independence (against the Soviet regime).
After the fresh and progressive atmosphere of Pannonhalma, unfortunately, I still felt the legacy of the communist times in this institution, both in the field of priestly training and in the way of teaching theology. Nevertheless, I found teaching personalities here who could motivate me. One such person was the then Rector of the Pázmány Péter Catholic University, now Cardinal Péter Erdő, whose optional courses on canon law I followed from the first year. He was already frequently visiting Rome to teach and attend various conferences and meetings, so it was obvious that with my Italian background I would join his intellectual environment. Although I wrote my first licence in moral theology, I also started studying canon law, which I completed a few years later with a doctorate at the Gregorian University of the Jesuits in Rome.
But returning to the formative curriculum: I was ordained a priest in 2004. At that time, a new Apostolic Nuncio arrived in Hungary, Archbishop Juliusz Janusz, of Polish origin, who chose me to be member of his staff as a personal secretary and interpreter. My family name “Lengyel” means “Polish” in Hungarian, even though I have no knowledge of any specific Polish ancestry. There are many family names in Hungary that mean the names of ethnic groups. In any case, this pleased the Nuncio, who actually chose me because of my knowledge of Italian, since Italian is usually the working language in the nunciatures.
Gordon: When did you serve as Personal assistant to the Ambassador at the Vatican Embassy Budapest. Hungary and what were your primary responsibilities?
Ervin: I moved straight from the seminary to the nunciature and of course I felt very inexperienced. However, Archbishop Janusz and the diplomatic secretary at the time, also of Polish origin, Msgr. Józwowicz, now nuncio in Tehran, taught me with great patience and showed me the ropes. They appreciated how I was trying to compensate my lack of experience with hard work and willingness to serve. Here my main task was to coordinate the nuncio's official, ecclesiastical and state engagements, handling Hungarian correspondence, interpreting and translating. This was a rather difficult period in Hungary, as the socialist government was constantly reorganizing and essentially reducing the public service financial endowment ensured in the 1997 bilateral agreement between the Holy See and Hungary. This was a somewhat complicated system, and it is now just a history, but at that time it caused quite a lot of headaches both for the nunciature and the Hungarian bishops to find a solution with the government. It was a very exciting and challenging period professionally.
I must mention another historical event here. As a young priest, I was deeply impressed by the fact that I experienced the sad moments of the demise of Pope St. John Paul II while an employee of the nunciature in Budapest. The pontificate ended at that time was not only long in time but also rich in content and teaching. This was interesting for me not only professionally, but also because I learned about the protocol procedures for such occasions.
My boss there, Archbishop Janusz, came from the Archdiocese of Krakow and knew Karol Wojtyla personally and closely. The death of the Holy Pope affected him very deeply. It was then that I understood how important it is for a Vatican diplomat to pay heed to whom he works with, what kind of people are by his side, whether they can be a supportive environment, since they are not only colleagues at work, but also his spiritual family. As a Vatican diplomat, I am also convinced that the success of the nunciature's operations depends very much on the selection of staff. Unfortunately, this is an increasingly sensitive issue today.
During my service in the nunciature in Budapest, I had the opportunity to celebrate Sunday Masses in one of the parishes of my diocese. Although I only said Masses and administered baptisms, this period was still important and beautiful for me, where friendships were formed with many of the parishioners.
Gordon: Then you went to Rome for studies. How do you recall that period?
Ervin: After three years of nunciature service, I was sent to Rome to continue my studies, more precisely to complete my studies in canon law, which took place at the Gregorian University of the Jesuits. Although I only completed my doctorate there, I still think of this institution and the Jesuit fathers with great gratitude. My doctoral supervisor was Fr. Robert Geisinger SJ, today the Promoter of Justice of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and I am grateful to Fr. Janusz Kowal SJ, whom I met first in Budapest, where he came to give courses every year, and who was my mentor during my stay in Rome. I really liked this international atmosphere and the teaching principles of the “Jesuit school”. The Hungarian Catholic Church has two important institutions of formation in Rome. The seminarians live in the Germanicum et Hungaricum College, while the priests stay in the Pontifical Hungarian Institute on via Giulia, next to The Venerable English College and the Spanish College. As a priest, I first lived here for two years, then I was admitted to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, which is the Vatican’s Diplomatic Academy. The President of the Academy was then Archbishop Beniamino Stella, later Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy. I really liked this international environment and the spirit that this institution represents.
Let me mention an other flashback: During this period, for a year, I celebrated Mass for the Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Fra’ Matthew Festing, and the members of the Order’s Grand Magistery in the Grand Master’s Palace on via dei Condotti. The Masses were entirely in Latin, although according to the Novus Ordo, followed by a pleasant breakfast where we ate English-style marmalade and toast. I am very grateful for this experience and for having been able to meet Fra’ Matthew. Interestingly, his memory has accompanied me to London and of course here in Malta, where his final resting place is in the Co-Cathedral of St. John in Valletta.
In 2011, I took my final exams at the Pontifical Diplomatic Academy and then defended my doctorate in canon law at the Gregorian University. My first diplomatic mission was to Cameroon.
Gordon: When did you serve as Secretary, Deputy Head of Mission in Yaoundé, Cameroon and what were your primary responsibilities?
Ervin: The first diplomatic mission is still almost part of the preparation. At that time, the new diplomat, who arrives at the nunciature with the classification of attaché, has to put into practice what he learned in theory at the Academy. Although I already had experience of nunciature life in Budapest, Cameroon was a different kind of challenge for me. Learning what life is like in African conditions, and of course I also had to learn French there. I got to Yaoundé in the late summer of 2011.
My first nuncio was Archbishop Piero Pioppo, now nuncio in Jakarta, who has been a very attentive, patient and experienced prelate, as he spent most of his life as the personal secretary of Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State. He was happy to share his experiences and introduce me to life there. Nunciatures usually have two diplomats, the nuncio and a subordinate diplomat. The subordinate diplomat’s task is to directly assist the nuncio in his work: communication, HR issues, finance, preparing reports, composing documents, caring about the archives, etc.
Cameroon, so-called “Africa in miniature”, is a largely Catholic country in the heart of Africa on the Gulf of Guinea. Its modern history was largely contributed to by the founding of Catholic missions, schools, hospitals, and churches. It felt a very good-spirited environment for me. The Catholics held the nunciature in high regard. The most important achievement of our work was the signing of the first bilateral framework agreement between the Holy See and the Republic of Cameroon on the legal status of the Catholic Church.
From this period, I fondly recall that, whenever I could, I tried to visit the foreign missionaries who were generally isolated in the country. I was grateful to them for introducing me to their lives, showing me how they worked, what they did, and how they lived. We often had to travel for long hours in an off-road vehicle through the jungle, many times on dirt roads, to get to a missionary station. I gathered that my interest was important to them, and they understood how the diplomatic representation of the Holy See recognized and encouraged their challenging work.
I greatly appreciated when I was invited to the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé to talk about our work or just to participate in their activities. Since then, I have always had great respect for the lecturers who serve the science in quite difficult circumstances.
In Cameroon, I established good relations with bishops, Cameroonian and missionary priests and nuns. I am still in contact with many of them today.
The nunciature in Yaoundé also represents the Holy See in the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa, Equatorial Guinea. We also visited this country a few times. We were always welcomed with great respect and tasty Spanish paella. I still remember the bishops and priests there in my prayers.
Gordon: When did you serve as Secretary, Deputy Head of Mission in Luanda, Angola and what did you enjoy most about your work?
Ervin: Angola is a huge South African country with unexplored mineral resources. The country suffered from a civil war for about four decades, which damaged the fabric of society. There was a lot of internal migration, uncertainty, and state institutions could not function properly. Here I learned how much damage war does to the life of a society. When everything is uncertain, hospitals and schools are not working, families are torn apart. This leaves a mark on the intellectual, health and spiritual state of society for decades. In such a situation, the Catholic Church was able to remain the only safe point in people's lives. I arrived here in 2014. This nunciature is also dear to me, because I was here for the first time as a temporary Chargé d'affaires, meaning that, after the departure of the outgoing nuncio, I managed the diplomatic representation for 5 months until the arrival of the new nuncio, Archbishop Petar Rajic, who is now the nuncio to Italy in Rome.
I really loved Angola, this Portuguese-speaking country, which I consider to be an African country with a very good atmosphere and high popular culture. Here the vitality of black Africa is mixed with Brazilian creativity and Portuguese cultural immersion. My office window looked out onto the courtyard of an events hall. Often when they prepared for evening parties during the day, the typical Angolan kizomba music was played all day long.
Shortly after my arrival, the new Archbishop of Luanda, Dom Filomeno do Nascimento Vieira Dias, was installed. He made a great influence on me with his calm style of church government, his deliberation and his wise advice. In this country, I was also involved in the preparatory work for the bilateral framework agreement between the Holy See and Angola. We had several meetings with government experts. However, the agreement was eventually signed later. I am reminded of the words of the Gospel: one sows and another reaps.
The nunciature in Luanda also represents the Holy See to the tiny archipelago country in the Gulf of Guinea, on the Equator, the Republic of Sao Tome and Principe. I have been to this wonderful country several times, which, although poor, still reminds me of a paradise on earth. It has a beautiful geography, exotic fruits, fresh fish, and an excellent climate. I am grateful to Bishop Manuel António Mendes dos Santos, a true missionary who accepted me as guest several times and always accompanied me throughout the island. He retired to his homeland, Portugal, a few years ago.
Gordon: When did you serve as Secretary, Deputy Head of Mission Moscow, Russia, and what is one of your favorite memories when you were there?
Ervin: The appointment to Russia was quite a surprise, as I felt professionally very inexperienced and immature for this task, although I tried to do my best. Nevertheless, the appointment was not completely unexpected. During the dictatorship in Hungary, everyone was required to learn Russian as the first foreign language. Then, when I was a student at the Vatican Diplomatic Academy, I was privileged to spend a summer in Moscow on a language course in 2010. That was a great practice for me. It was interesting to return as a diplomat in 2017 and see the change, the amazing development.
You could say that people generally know Russia, but it is also true that they often misunderstand this country and its people. In the 2010s, Russia's relations with the West were discreetly evolving, as were those with the Holy See. The greatest experience of my service there was the official visit of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, during which he met with Patriarch Kirill, President Vladimir Putin, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Few people know about it, but a bilateral agreement of a gesture value was also signed between the Holy See and Russia on the mutual recognition of diplomatic passports. This was the first time that a “Prime Minister” ranked representative of the Holy See was able to come to Russia for an official visit.
A year later, another, lower-level professional cooperation agreement was signed between the “Bambin Gesù” (a pediatric hospital operating under the authority of the Holy See) and St. Luke’s Hospital in Moscow. It was a very hopeful period.
With the then nuncio, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, now nuncio in Paris, we worked a lot for the benefit of the priests and religious serving in Russia. There were times when we managed to provide concrete help and resolve issues, but there were also situations that were still too premature to be resolved.
I tried to get to know the Russian Orthodox traditions, liturgy and spirituality personally, which had a great impact on me. It was nice to discover how Orthodox Christian life and spirituality survived and revived despite eight decades of communist dictatorship.
The current situation affects me very sensitively, because it seems that the many efforts, that we made, have perished. This is especially noticeable in the areas of communication, as cooperation and managing contacts are difficult. I sincerely hope that the policy of the new US administration will help the parties in the war to reach an agreement and to find a long-term settlement to the confrontation. Together with Pope Francis, I myself pray a lot for peace and for the support of suffering people.
Gordon: You held two positions in Baghdad, Iraq, what were they, and what were your primary responsibilities in each position?
Ervin: This means that, after my arrival, there was a change in the leadership of the diplomatic mission at this nunciature as well. In other words, I was the temporary Chargé d’affaires for eight months after the outgoing nuncio left. This is a very very long time in the gunpowder atmosphere of the Middle East. As I mentioned, although superficially, I have been following the situation in Iraq since I was a child. When I was a young boy, I watched a lot of American action movies about Iraq, the most famous of which is probably “Green Zone”, starring my favorite actor, Matt Damon. The nunciature is a closed compound in the red zone, which is the Christian quarter called “Karrada” in Baghdad. Usually, diplomats can only go out into the city with an armed escort, so I stayed inside a lot. As the US marines (for example) there do, I tried to gather strength and take care of my health and thus overcome the depressing challenge of confinement.
Unexpected events were not long in coming. A month after my arrival, mass anti-government protests broke out, which led to a government crisis. At that time, tensions developed between Iran and the United States, which led to the liquidation of General Qasem Suleimani. The atmosphere was very hot.
Then came COVID with a lot of lockdowns, which also conditioned our lives.
After the arrival of the new nuncio, Mitja Leskovar, today nuncio in Kinshasa, our task was to organize the apostolic visit of Pope Francis to Iraq. I think I am not exaggerating that this was a historic papal visit, not only because it was the first time that the Supreme Pontiff came to Iraq, but also because of the circumstances, namely COVID and the security situation, and, in addition, because, (if I remember correctly), we had about 3 months to prepare the whole visit. The apostolic trip was very rich and successful. Everyone just said that there was peace in all of Iraq for 4 days.
Unfortunately, the nuncio and I got COVID during the preparatory meetings, so we were unable to meet Pope Francis in person. The one who sows is not the same as the one who reaps. However, Pope Francis called us personally on our mobile phones to express his gratitude, even though we just did our job. It was very nice that Pope Francis greeted me on the phone in Hungarian. As I later learned, there were nuns of Hungarian origin in Buenos Aires, from whom he learned some phrases that he has not forgotten since then. This attention on the part of Pope Francis has been an unforgettable moment.
Despite all the difficulties, I had a fantastic experience in Iraq. I tried to stay in touch with and visit the Christians of the Nineveh Plain. Although Eastern Christians are the majority in Iraq, let us not forget the small Latin community, who a few decades ago had an archbishop of Hungarian origin in the person of Ernst Nyáry. With the help of the nunciature, a small group of Latin Catholic pilgrims from Baghdad were able to be present at the memorable Eucharistic Congress in Budapest in the fall of 2021.
It was a great gift to be able to visit biblical places such as Babylon, Nineveh and Ur. The very isolated situation of the nunciature also had a great impact on me, even spiritually. I started a spirituality movement on one of the social media platforms that promotes modern forms of fasting and works of mercy, following the example of Saint Martin of Tours. The site is in Hungarian, and today I have half a thousand subscribers. It is a kind of virtual pious association.
Overall, despite all the difficulties of the political situation and the challenging climate, I am very grateful for the 3 years I spent in Iraq, although I did not manage to learn Arabic.
Gordon: When did you serve as DHM, Counsellor Vatican Embassy in London and what were your primary responsibilities?
Ervin: Shortly after my arrival in London, I witnessed a sad but historic event, which was the death of Queen Elizabeth II: as many people called her with a lot of love and respect, “the Granny of the World”. That day, I was at the Grand Priory of the Order of Malta in London for the installation of the new local superior, Fra’ Max Rumney. Almost all of them personally knew the aforementioned Fra’ Matthew Festing, whom I served in Rome, so I found a very welcoming community there as well.
The death of the Queen and the coronation of King Charles were a very valuable experience for me, both spiritually and professionally. Spiritually, because I saw the British people’s grief up close, as they expressed their appreciation for the late Queen and the monarchy. It was of course sad, but also very inspiring to follow the ceremonies at such times, including the funeral and then, of course, the coronation of King Charles. It was a very deep experience, also professionally, because I learned a lot from the cooperation with the British State Protocol Department. Let us not forget that the relationship between the United Kingdom and the Holy See is that of two ancient European monarchies and there are many analogies.
When I arrived, the nuncio was Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, who was later appointed by Pope Francis as head of the Vatican Dicastery for the Eastern Catholic Churches. So, I was a temporary Chargé d’affaires there for five months. In addition to trying to provide all possible support to the Catholic communities, I considered it important to get to know the life and devotion of the Anglican community. I had very beautiful experiences with the Anglicans. I am very grateful for their open and welcoming attitude. I gladly participated in the evensong service in Westminster Abbey and Saint Bartholomew’s Church when I could. Unfortunately, in the southern, especially in the Mediterranean Catholic world, there is a certain suspicion towards the Anglicans. In London I learned that we should not regurgitate historical wounds, but rather recognize that we are all human beings and, and as Christians, want to be disciples of Christ.
In London the nunciature is located in Wimbledon, famous for its tennis championships. This borough is part of the Archdiocese of Southwark. I am grateful to Archbishop John Wilson for the cordial cooperation and all the support for my work.
Archbishop Wilson does a great pastoral work, both among the local and various ethnic, immigrant communities, as well as the different groups in need in London, a city that never sleeps. Overall, it has been a great honor to accompany the Catholic Church in Great Britain for some years on their pilgrimage of trying to meet the challenges of the modern world. It is not an easy job! I continue to accompany them in my prayers.
Gordon: You currently serve as Deputy Head of Mission, Counsellor Vatican Embassy to Malta and Libya. What are your primary tasks?
Ervin: I have only been in Malta for a few months, so I still feel like a beginner here. However, it was not difficult for me to discover the guiding hand of Providence here either, because of the aforementioned connection with the Order of Malta. I feel I have arrived here at a very exciting time. Malta is a dynamically developing economy and society in the heart of the Mediterranean. The country’s Catholic tradition is very motivating, but so is its modern, proudly neutral foreign policy and forward-looking economic strategy. The Archipelago (we are talking about a group of islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino) is not only reached by economic immigrants from Africa, but also by investors and expats who want to enrich the productivity and culture of this country with their knowledge and creativity. This situation obviously poses new challenges for the life of the Catholic community as well. I am very attracted to the Maltese view on the international and diplomatic scenario, from this young country, which only became independent 60 years ago.
My first experience is that the Maltese are a very kind, welcoming and community-loving people, who are proud of their inherited identity and traditions. They are happy to invite me to various programs and celebrations. Both in the government and church administration, there are young, skilled officials, with whom we can establish a very good cooperation in English or Italian.
The modern Maltese State established official diplomatic relations with the Holy See 60 years ago, although Christianity came here with Saint Paul, according to the Acts of the Apostles. The first resident nuncio arrived in early February 1966. We commemorate this anniversary together with the local Church through various programs, liturgical celebrations, cultural events (concerts, exhibitions, publications) and scientific conferences. We trust that it will give an impact to Catholic communities in their search for a path towards the future and deepen the calls of the jubilee year announced by Pope Francis.
Gordon: Who is your favorite saint and why is that saint you favorite?
Ervin: Thank you for this question, because it is a question that few people ask us diplomats. My favorite saint is Saint Martin of Tours. Not only because he is the patron saint of my former college, the Pannonhalma Archabbey, but because his person unites virtues and characteristics that are important to me. In the first half of his life as a soldier, he obviously lived the virtues of manhood, but he was able to turn to the beggar suffering from poverty with mercy and fraternal love. Then, after his conversion, he studied the spirituality of the Eastern fathers and eremites, and he founded a monastic community.
When he became a bishop, he also took on a social role in organizing the Christian communities that were emerging at that time. I think his personality is a very important symbol today: living the virtues of manhood and self-consciousness in a Christian way; a deep spiritual life of prayer with asceticism; and a responsible involvement in the society and the community we are living in. Throughout my life and service, I strive to live out these principles according to the teachings of the Gospel and thus become a life-pilgrim, a disciple of Christ.
Gordon: Thank you for an informative and exceptional interview.