Visit to Hungary: Pope Francis meets head of government Orban

In the run-up to his visit to Hungary, it was not yet clear whether Pope Francis would be received by head of government Orban. According to the Vatican, the two spoke about the topic of environmental protection, among other things. Pope Francis has arrived in Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomed the pope at the Budapest Museum of Art. President Janos Ader also joined him for a subsequent conversation. Afterwards, Francis took part in a meeting with bishops and representatives of the Jewish community. The appointment had been eagerly awaited because the pope and the conservative head of government hold opposing positions, especially on the subject of migration. Francis repeatedly calls for help for refugees. Hungary, on the other hand, pursues an anti-migration policy. According to the Vatican, the topics of discussion included the role of the Church in Hungary and environmental protection. Francis had recently said in a radio interview that he did not know whether there would be a meeting with Orban at all. Actually, such meetings are common during foreign trips of the head of the Catholic Church. Italian media had reported voices from the Vatican that the pope would have preferred to avoid the Hungarian prime minister altogether. Pope Francis calls for fight against anti-SemitismAt the subsequent meeting with representatives of other Christian churches and Judaism, Pope Francis called for a fight against anti-Semitism. This, he said, is “a fuse that must be extinguished. “The “God of the covenant,” to whom Christians and Jews alike refer in the Bible, “does not want covenants with some at the expense of others, but persons and communities that are bridges of communion with all. “It is up to the leaders of the majority religions to “create the conditions in this country for religious freedom to be respected and promoted for all. “According to the Vatican, Hungary is only a stopover for the pope and not a state visit. Francis planned to continue on to Slovakia later today, where he was scheduled to stay for four days. The trip is the first since the pope underwent serious intestinal surgery in early July.