In his lecture at the House of Dialogue in Budapest, Cardinal Stephen Chow approached the presence of Christianity in China from a cultural perspective, because, as he said, this is the way to conduct a dialogue with China. China seeks to assimilate religions from abroad: to see what can be learned from them and to make them part of Chinese culture. He cited Buddhism, which came from India, as an example, whose values were integrated into Chinese culture. He remembered Matteo Ricci, one of the first Jesuits to arrive in China, who was able to start an intellectual dialogue with the Chinese.

Regarding the first decades of the People's Republic of China, the Cardinal stressed that they were shaping a new national identity, and therefore rejected everything that came from abroad, from the West. The opening that began in the 1980s also helped the churches. The political leadership became more neutral and viewed the church in a more positive light. Nowadays, the leadership prioritizes the building of a sinicized identity, including for the churches, and they are cautious of ideological influences that comes from the West. Intellectual and cultural dialogue can continue to help cooperation, the Cardinal emphasized.

Cardinal Stephen celebrated a Mass at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Pest. In his homily, he drew a parallel between God's time and human time. Today, man lives in a fast-paced world and is increasingly impatient, wanting immediate justice and not wanting anyone to suffer. God's time, however, is different – He is concerned not only with our desires but with everyone’s, and gives sinners time to repent. We must let God be God, and God will surprise those who trust in Him, he said.

After the Mass, the cardinal met with young men discerning their vocation. He talked about his own vocation, in which the good example of his Jesuit teachers played a role. The conversation touched on what can help anyone find their own vocations, how to recognize the movements of the Spirit within ourselves, and why it is worth following the desires at the depth of the of our hearts instead those at the surface.

As a small surprise at the end of the evening, one of the young men thanked the Cardinal for the conversation in Chinese.