Pope praises “Hungarian hospitality”

Pope Francis met poor and refugees on the second day of his visit to Hungary. The head of the Catholic Church recalled the commandment of charity in Budapest’s Elisabeth Church near the Ostbahnhof. Some of the participants shared their life stories with him, including a Ukrainian who fled the Russian war of aggression with his wife and five children a year ago.

“I am glad to be among you,” said the pontiff. He also thanked the Ukrainian church for “taking in so many refugees who come from Ukraine”. Francis spoke of the “hospitality and friendliness of the Hungarians” and emphasized their “generosity and enthusiasm”. He called for mercy, “especially towards those who are marked by poverty, disease and pain”.

The Hungarian government’s refugee policy is controversial in Europe. According to Brussels, some of the country’s laws contradict international and EU law. In principle, it is not possible for people seeking protection who have reached Hungarian territory to apply for asylum. Ukrainians, on the other hand, can enter the EU regularly because of the visa exemption that applies to them. For them, however, Hungary is almost always a transit station.

In addition to the Ukrainian, a single Roma woman, who now works for the Greek Catholic Church, and representatives of the Catholic homeless aid also spoke at the meeting.

Meeting with the Russian Orthodox Metropolitan

The Pope had previously visited a Catholic home where around 70 children and young people with physical or mental disabilities live; This was followed by a meeting with the Russian Orthodox Metropolitan of Hungary, Archbishop Hilarion. The Vatican described the exchange as cordial. Until June 2022, Hilarion was Moscow Patriarch Cyril’s head of foreign affairs, but fell out of favor in the course of the Russian war in Ukraine and was transferred to Budapest. Francis’ journey to Hungary ends this Sunday evening.

jj/as (dpa, kna)