VATICAN DISAPPROVES OF MRS KÓSA’S STATEMENT

Juliusz Janusz apostolic nuncio has informed Vatican about Mrs Magda Kovács Kósa’s statements and the Holy See finds it regrettable that the Hungarian Socialist Party has not dissociated itself from this opinion, creating the appearance that Mrs Kósa interpretes the views of the Socialists.

Juliusz Janusz apostolic nuncio, Vatican’s ambassador to Budapest has informed Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, head of the second section of the Holy See (practically the Foreign Minister of Vatican) about Mrs Kósa’s statements offending the Pope. There is a suspicion that Mrs Kósa’s opinions are shared by the Hungarian Socialist Party. The Order of Great St. Gregory given to Viktor Orbán had been proposed by Cardinal Paskai in May 2002 to honour the former Premier’s work to commemorate the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Christinaity. Zoltán Gál J. government spokesman yesterday praised Mrs Kósa and her ’useful and widely respected role in Hungarian public life’.

Translated by Péter Szentmihályi Szabó