On Wednesday morning, Pope Francis received Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in private audience in the study named after Pope Paul VI. This is the fourth time that the bishop of Rome and the Hungarian prime minister have met in person.
Viktor Orban was on a visit to the Vatican back in 2022, when he asked the Pope to support the Hungarian government's peace efforts.
Viktor Orban and his wife attended an early morning mass on Wednesday in St. Peter's Basilica. The Hungarian leader was greeted by the Pontifical Swiss Guard in front of the Pope Paul VI chamber and then received by the Holy Father in his office. The private audience lasted 35 minutes. Afterwards, the head of the Catholic Church presented several valuable gifts to the Hungarian prime minister: a terracotta sculpture depicting the theme of Tenderness and Love, volumes of the Pope's encyclicals, the Holy Father's Message of Peace for this year and a commemorative edition of the Statio Orbis held in the empty St. Peter's Square, when the Pope prayed for the end of the epidemic. Prime Minister Viktor Orban presented the Holy Father with a Hungarian-language volume of The Life of Jesus Christ by French Dominican friar Fr Henri Didon.
In an official statement later that morning, the Holy See Press Office said that after the audience with the Pope, Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with Cardinal-Bishop Pietro Parolin, head of the Vatican State Secretariate and with Prelate Miroslaw Wachowski, the Holy See's deputy secretary for interstate relations.
According to the statement, during the talks, the parties focused their attention on the war in Ukraine, bearing in mind the humanitarian consequences of the war and efforts to promote peace. The Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the central role of the family and the protection of young people were also discussed. Hungary's Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen was also in attendance at the meeting.
Nico Spuntoni, Vatican expert for the Italian newspaper Il Tempo, commented on the significance of the meeting. He said that since the outbreak of the conflict, the focus of Pope Francis's pontificate has been on inducing dialogue between Ukraine and Russia.
The bishop of Rome and the Hungarian PM are working to bring the conflict to an end as soon as possible. The Vatican expert said he was convinced that the Hungarian prime minister could act as a bridge, a kind of mediator between the Pope and the newly elected US President Donald Trump, who is also known to be preparing a peace mission.
The positions of the Holy See and the Hungarian government are the same, both sides are working on diplomatic preparations for peace in Ukraine. Although they are operating on parallel paths, both are trying to achieve peace through dialogue. Not only have the Secretariats of State of the Holy See achieved major accomplishments, but also Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who as the Holy Father's special envoy, has done much to alleviate the situation and to secure the release of prisoners of war.
Hungary has made progress in reducing tensions between the warring parties.
Spuntoni also said that Pope Francis expressed his appreciation to Viktor Orban for helping to further the start of dialogue and for the generosity of Hungarians in aiding and welcoming Ukrainian refugees.
According to the Italian press, Viktor Orban's visit to the Vatican is more than simply a reception of a premier of a European country, but is of geopolitical importance. What is at stake is the preservation of Christian values and the establishment of peace in Europe. And in this, Budapest and the Vatican are close allies.
Cover photo: Pope Francis (left) receives Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban (right) in private audience at the Vatican on December 4, 2024 (Photo: MTI/Vatican Media)
