„Pope Francis realistic about the situation in Ukraine”

Pope Francis has always been an advocate of traditional family values, and his meetings in Hungary have confirmed what he believes in, Michael Wallace Banach told Magyar Nemzet in a recent interview. It is important not to forget the pope's visit to Budapest this year, as it had a constructive effect on the Holy Father, the Hungarian Apostolic Nuncio has said. We also spoke to the Archbishop Emeritus of Memphis – who has been serving for a year as the pope's envoy to Hungary – about how successful he believes the Holy See's peace mission to mediate between the warring sides in Ukraine is.

Róma, 2023. június 16. Ferenc pápa egy autóból integet, amint távozik a római Agostino Gemelli kórházból 2023. június 16-án. A római katolikus egyházfõ június 7-én bélfali sérvmûtéten esett át. MTI/EPA-ANSA/Angelo Carconi Fotó: Angelo Carconi

– Your Excellency has served as an Apostolic Nuncio in many parts of the world, including Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and several countries in Africa, and for a year you have been serving in our country. What are your impressions of Hungary, how do you see the situation of the Christian community here?

–I arrived in the middle of July of 2022 and I've been here for a year. I have to say that my impressions are very, very positive of Hungary and of Hungarians. I came from an assignment in Sub-Saharan Africa, so I was accustomed to seeing desert all the time. To come back to a country where you see green trees and flowers and grass has been quite an uplifting experience. So I think geography-wise, it's a beautiful country, and Hungarians are warm and welcoming and open. As a Nuncio, I meet plenty of people, not just believers, but also non-believers, who will tell me that they are not believers, and then we end up talking for an hour. So I think that's a great photograph of the Hungarian characters being open, warm, and interested in different viewpoints. I suspect that this comes from your history. That's the geography of the country which serves as a crossroads for many, so you are accustomed to having that kind of dialogue, or interchange with a lot of other people. The latest statistics show that a little more than half of the country is Christian.

In terms of the mission of the church, we must never be satisfied with just the numbers, to say, well, it's over fifty percent, so that's good. We should always work for more, but I think we must also be realistic.

We received an invitation to Christian life, which is much more than a picture of a saint hanging on the wall in our home, but sometimes people cannot or do not want to accept that invitation. In Hungary, as anywhere else in the world, not everyone chooses to become a Christian.

Michael Wallace Banach, Apostolic Nuncio to Hungary. Photo: Miklos Teknos

– In recent years, we have had the honor of Pope Francis visiting Hungary twice, in 2021 and again in 2023. What do you think is the reason for his return to us in such a short time?

– In 2021, when Pope Francis arrived for the closing Mass of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress, he spent about six hours here alone. As this was more of an international event, it wasn't just focused on Hungary. However, at the end of his speech delivered in Heroes' Square, the Pope said that he would return, and by coming back he did fulfill his earlier promise. His visit this April was specifically for Hungary. I think he also wanted to come here because he knew Hungarians living in Argentina, such as Jesuit monks who fled to Latin America during the Communist persecution. In fact, the Pope mentioned that he'd learned a lot from their testimonies, so I think this was a personal motivation behind his visit to Hungary.

– During his visit, the Holy Father did not only meet high-ranking officials, but also various members of society, including students, poor people and refugees. What was Pope’s impression of Hungarians?

– I think he very much enjoyed his time here. He was very impressed and edified by seeing the different strata of Hungarian society.

As head of the Catholic Church, he saw a very active church here, which is heavily involved in cultural life and education, and tries to be of service to the poor and the underprivileged.

He saw the Church, and indeed society, building bridges in a bid to get closer to these people. So I think it was a very positive visit and a very uplifting one, too. And you saw that in his reactions. I was in the car with him several times and he would always travel among the people with his windows down, which I think you only do when you feel comfortable.

– According to press reports, the Holy Father had the opportunity to familiarizte himself with the cornerstones of Hungary's family policy during his visit. Do you think this had an impact on Pope Francis?

– As the Pope is not just the head of the Church, but also a head of state leading the Vatican, protocol dictates that during his foreign trips he must also pay a visit to the host country's head of state. This is why he also met with Hungarian President Katalin Novak. They spoke once in private at the presidential Sandor Palace, and then again at the airport before the Holy Father departed from Budapest. The topics discussed included, of course, family life and family policy in Hungary.

The discussions have confirmed what we represent, something that Pope Francis believes, too, that he and the Church have always been advocates of traditional family values.

I think one concrete result of the Pope's discussion with Hungary's head of state was an agreement to work together to help repatriate Ukrainian children who have been separated from their families as a result of the war.

Pope Francis and Hungarian President Katalin Novak at the Liszt Ferenc International Airport. Photo: Arpad Kurucz 

– After these talks, did the Pope assign you any tasks with regard to your mission in Hungary?

– Yes, of course. Without going into details, maybe it's just best to say that the proposals included further promotion of families, of the importance of family values in society, and of the joint work of the Church and the state in areas where interests coincide.

– Returning from his apostolic visit to Budapest, the head of the Church announced that he intended to embark on a peace mission. His special envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, has paid a visit to Ukraine and Russia recently. do you think the Holy See has managed to map a path leading to the end of the Ukraine war, and have there been any concrete steps?

– Cardinal Zuppi, who is the Archbishop of Bologna in Italy, has described this assignment as a "listening, or a humanitarian mission." The assignment wasn't necessarily undertaken with the aim of providing a concrete roadmap towards peace, but one of the direct results - which I think is the influence of Pope Francis’ visit in Hungary - was that some concrete steps were taken to repatriate the Ukrainian children who have been separated from their families.

In the words of Cardinal Zuppi, even in the midst of darkness, we must look for the tiny rays of light of peace.

I think darkness and being blindn are often the same thing. We think we are surrounded by darkness, but perhaps it is just that the light is so strong that we simply cannot see what is in front of us. I think that is the fundamental reason why we undertake such a mission, as the Cardinal expressed it, to look for the rays of light. I could say that perhaps the common ground, the solution is so bright before our eyes that we need to blink a little to refocus our attention. The Cardinal met Pope Francis after his return from the two capitals. I am not aware of any new concrete initiatives, but I suspect that there will be some during the summer. The fact that the warring sides have received the delegation suggests that they are open to initiatives. I think the Holy See, as well as Pope Francis, is very realistic about the situation, knowing that positions are far apart. But that does not mean that we cannot talk. In fact, that is the reason why we need to talk to them more intensively, to help the warring sides in bringing their visions closer together.

Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Special Envoy of Pope Francis. Photo: Andreas Solaro

Cover photo: Pope Francis waving from a car on 16 June, 2023 (Photo: MTI/EPA-ANSA/Angelo Carconi)