Why did it take Pope Francis 10 years to go to Hungary?
Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, has arrived in Hungary for a three-day trip to help Ukraine in its war with Russia. According to BBC on Friday, Hungary shares a 134-kilometer border with the war-torn country, so he will be able to do this.
Since his last full trip to Hungary ten years ago, Since he became Pope 10 years ago.
The Pope didn’t go to Hungary because Prime Minister Viktor Orban is so against immigration. As the head of the Catholic Church, the 86-year-old Pope supports all refugees.
The Hungarian president also didn’t send troops to help Kiev, and he kept good ties with Vladimir Putin, who is the president of Russia.
On April 28, 2023, when Pope Francis arrived at the Liszt Ferenc airport in Budapest, he was met by happy people. — — AFP
On April 28, 2023, when Pope Francis arrived at the Liszt Ferenc airport in Budapest, he was met by happy people. — — AFP
Pope Francis said before his first trip: “It will also be a trip to the centre of Europe, where the cold winds of war continue to blow.”
In 2019, the Pope went to Romania, and in 2021, he went to Slovakia.
He spent a few hours in Hungary on his way to Slovakia. In Budapest, at the end of the International Eucharistic Congress, he went to mass.
On April 28, 2023, when Pope Francis arrived at the Liszt Ferenc airport in Budapest, he was met by children dressed in traditional Hungarian clothes. The deputy prime minister of Hungary, Zsolt Semjen (C-R), looked on. — AFP
On April 28, 2023, when Pope Francis arrived at the Liszt Ferenc airport in Budapest, he was met by children dressed in traditional Hungarian clothes. The country’s deputy prime minister, Zsolt Semjen (C-R), looked on. — AFP
He said he would come back, and Hungarian diplomats in Rome made it possible for him to do so. This is seen as a diplomatic win for Orban and a chance for Hungary to stop being cut off from the rest of the world over the Ukraine problem.
The main newspaper of the ruling Fidesz party, Magyar Nemzet, said on Thursday that “the Pope is with us.”
The story said that Pope Francis’ visit backs the government’s plans for peace in Ukraine and policies that help families in the United States.
“From Rome, Pope Francis sees this unfair fight and pointless war hysteria,” the report said.
Hungary has also not let NATO use its airspace. However, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, the head of the Hungarian military forces, was fired without being told why.
On April 28, 2023, Pope Francis arrived in Hungary. The country’s deputy prime minister, Zsolt Semjen (C-R), watches as children welcome him. — AFP
On April 28, 2023, Pope Francis arrived in Hungary. Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen (C-R) watches as children welcome him. — AFP
András Hodász, who used to be a priest in the Roman Catholic Church, recently quit because he didn’t agree with the church and felt pressured to keep quiet.
“The devil is in the details,” Hodász told the BBC. The government of Hungary wants peace at any cost. With an instant stop to the fighting, the front lines could be made clear. This is different from what the Holy Father said, which was that Russia should go back to its old limits. The Pope agrees that Ukraine has a right to defend itself.
He also said, “The same public figures who had criticised the Pope in the past because of his views on immigration were now welcoming him with open arms.”
He also said, “The public seems to be as changeable and easy to control as the wind.”
When Pope Francis lands on April 28, 2023, kids waving flags meet him at the airport. — AFP
When Pope Francis lands on April 28, 2023, kids waving flags meet him at the airport. — AFP
After being treated for bronchitis at the end of last month, this is his first visit since then. Before his trip, Pope talked with Denys Shmyhal, the prime minister of Ukraine. Shmyhal asked Pope to come to Ukraine.
Later on Friday, Pope Francis will meet with Premier Orban and Hungarian President Katalin Novak, who came up with a policy to encourage couples to have more children.
As planned, the Pope will meet poor people who are homeless and refugees from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan on Saturday.
A government office in Hungary helps Christians who are being attacked around the world.
In contrast to people who are against immigration, Hungary took in 2.5 million Ukrainian refugees last year and helped around 35,000 of them stay.
The Pope’s trip to Hungary will end on Sunday, when he takes part in a mass in Kossuth Square, in front of the Hungarian parliament.
