Although the 45-minute meeting was only Francis’ second in less than a decade, it was remarkably different in tone. The pope stopped briefly in Budapest to conclude a church congress. It was obvious that the September encounter was awkward given Orban’s sharply divided views on mass migration to Europe.
On Thursday, a cheerful and happy Francis expressed his gratitude for Hungary’s hospitality to the Ukrainians fleeing Russian invasion. Orban was presented with a medallion from St. Martin by him. He said he chose the medallion to commemorate Hungary’s welcoming of refugees.
Hungary is now a key transit country for war refugees. According to U.N. refugee agency, more than 476,000 people entered Hungary from Ukraine in the eight weeks since the conflict started.
During Thursday’s encounter, Obran and Francis laughed a lot. The pope said to the prime minister in English, “May God bless your family and Hungary,” which was a reference to Francis’s plans to visit Hungary in the future.
Although Orban’s government had in the past adopted anti-immigration policy, it stated that it would accept all refugees from Ukraine and provide food, accommodation, and opportunities to work. This contrasts with Europe’s last wave refugees.
Orban constructed a razor-wire fence at Hungary’s southern border to stop more than 1 million Syrian and Iraqi asylum seekers from entering the European Union.
Orban’s first trip to the Vatican since he and Fidesz, his right-wing party won Hungary’s April 3rd national election. The destination was a departure from his past tradition.
Orban, the longest-serving leader of the EU, is about to start his fourth consecutive term. He traveled to Warsaw, Poland, to visit his allies following the 2010 and 2018 Hungarian election.
Poland is Hungary’s strongest EU ally. The governments of both countries have supported one another in their respective fights against the bloc over allegations their populist governments have undermined judicial independence and media freedom.
The war in Ukraine has tested the warmth of relations between Budapest, Warsaw and Kiev. It revealed fault lines due to different approaches to Moscow.
Poland has always viewed Russia as a significant security threat and has been active in Europe’s push for sanctions against Moscow, and has provided military assistance to Ukraine.
Orban, who has maintained close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin for many years, has refused to supply Ukraine weapons or allow them to cross the border from Hungary to Ukraine in recent weeks. Hungarian officials have also lobbied strongly against the expansion of EU sanctions to ban Russian energy imports. Hungary is dependent on these imports.
Francis has been trying to improve relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and him for a long time. He was the first pope to meet in a millennium with Kirill, the Russian Patriarch Kirill.
While initially offering limited criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Francis maintained the Vatican’s diplomatic tradition. He has been more vocal in his outrage at the “sacrilegious war” and the creation of millions upon millions of Ukrainian refugees, but he did not name Putin or Russia.
Francis wants to continue the dialogue with Kirill. They spoke via video conference last month and reports suggest they may meet in person in Jerusalem in June.
