Ukraine, Migration, to High Agenda as Pope Francis Visits Hungary

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis leaves on Friday on a three-day journey to Hungary, the place the conflict in Ukraine, migration and Europe’s Christian roots are anticipated to prime the agenda in his public addresses and personal talks with nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Francis goes there to maintain a promise of an official go to after a cease of solely seven hours to shut a Church congress in Budapest in 2021 on his approach to Slovakia left many feeling slighted.

It is going to be his first journey since he was hospitalised for bronchitis in March.

Whereas its major function is assembly Hungarian Catholics, Francis acknowledged on Sunday that its content material is affected by present occasions.

“It additionally will probably be a visit to the centre of Europe, which continues to be battered by frigid winds of conflict, whereas the motion of so many individuals has put pressing humanitarian points on the agenda,” he mentioned.

Orban has mentioned Hungary and the Vatican are the one two European states that may be described as “pro-peace” concerning Ukraine.

Each Orban 59, and the pope, 86, have known as for a ceasefire and negotiations to finish the conflict and Francis has urged Ukraine to be open to dialogue with “aggressor” Russia, one thing Ukraine to date has dominated out.

Hungary, which helps a sovereign Ukraine however nonetheless has sturdy financial ties to Russia, has refused to ship weapons to Ukraine. However whereas the pope has usually known as for a common ban on arms trafficking and discount in weapons manufacturing, he has additionally mentioned sending arms to Ukraine is morally acceptable if they’re used just for self-defence.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, tens of millions of refugees have fled by means of Hungary and moved to different international locations. About 35,000 have utilized for momentary safety standing.

Orban and the pope differ extensively on find out how to deal with migration from the Center East and Africa in addition to on the significance of the European Union, with which Hungary has had many run-ins.

Francis believes migrants fleeing poverty needs to be welcomed and built-in as a result of they’ll culturally enrich host international locations and enhance Europe’s dwindling populations. He believes that whereas international locations have a proper to guard their borders, migrants needs to be distributed all through the EU.

Orban has refused to let Hungary be remodeled into an “immigrant nation” like he says others in Europe have turn into.

When Orban met the pope in 2021, he mentioned he requested him “to not let Christian Hungary perish”. He gave the pope a present that wanted no interpretation: a facsimile of a letter that thirteenth century King Bela IV despatched to Pope Harmless IV asking for assist in combating the Tartars.

“Orban sees himself as a protector of Christianity and is searching for a reference to the pope,” mentioned Father Csaba Torok, who runs a parish in Esztergom, the historic seat of Catholicism in Hungary, as is a press officer of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Convention.

Torok, who spoke to Vatican reporters on a video name final week, mentioned Hungarian officers wished the pope to go to different components of the nation however have been informed to restrict the occasion to Budapest “due to the pope’s bodily situation”.

Francis makes use of a cane and wheelchair due to a knee ailment.

(Further reporting by Krisztina Than in Budapest; Modifying by Nick Macfie)

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