Pope Francis receives Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the Vatican

Pope Francis received the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, at the Vatican this Wednesday, who described this meeting as “an opportunity for peace.”

The meeting lasted 35 minutes and took place in a room near the Paul VI classroom in the Vatican and not in the Apostolic Palace, as is customary, because it preceded the Pope’s General Audience.

Before his meeting with the Holy Father at 7:45 (Rome time), Orbán, a Calvinist, attended a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, as he shared on his social networks.

In the traditional exchange of gifts, the Holy Father presented the Hungarian Prime Minister with a terracotta work titled Tenderness and lovein addition to the volumes of papal documents, this year’s Message for Peace and the book on World Station on March 27, 2020.

For his part, Orbán presented Pope Francis with a copy of the Life of Jesus Christ, written in 1896 by the French Dominican friar Louis Henri Didon, creator of the motto of the modern Olympic Games, “Faster, higher, stronger.” He also gave him a map of the Holy Land dated 1700.

After the audience with the Holy Father, Viktor Orbán met with the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and with Bishop Mirosław Wachowski, undersecretary for Relations with States.

According to the press office of the Holy See, the meeting took place “in a cordial atmosphere,” highlighting the “solid and fruitful bilateral relations.”

During the meeting, “deep gratitude for the commitment of the Catholic Church in promoting the development and well-being of Hungarian society” was also expressed.

Likewise, issues of international relevance were addressed, such as the war in Ukraine, with special emphasis on its humanitarian consequences and efforts to promote peace.

Other issues were discussed in the conversations, such as the central role of the family and the protection of new generations.

Since taking office in 2010, Viktor Orbán has promoted various policies to support families, which have contributed to the increase in the birth rate and the reduction in the number of abortions.

They also focused on the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union, a position that the country assumed on July 1 and will maintain until December 31.

During this period, under Orbán’s leadership, Hungary has worked to strengthen EU defense policy, contain illegal immigration and address demographic challenges, among others. priority objectives.

This is the fifth time that Pope Francis meets with Viktor Orbán. During their audience at the Vatican on April 21, 2022, they also focused their conversations on the war in Ukraine and the Ukrainian refugees received in Hungary.