Webdesk:
Before his first visit, Pope Francis said, “It will also be a journey to the centre of Europe, over which the icy winds of war continue to blow.”
The Pope visited Romania in 2019 and Slovakia in 2021.
Francis celebrated the International Eucharistic Congress’s closing liturgy in Budapest before heading to Slovakia.
He promised to visit again, and Hungarian diplomacy in Rome made his travel possible, allowing Orban to break Hungary’s international isolation over the Ukraine crisis.
Moreover, Fidesz’s flagship daily Magyar Nemzet declared “the Pope is with us” on Thursday.
Pope Francis’ visit promotes the Ukrainian government’s peace and family programmes.
“From Rome, Pope Francis sees precisely this unfair struggle and senseless war hysteria,” it stated.
Hungarian military chief Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi was fired without reason despite NATO not using its airspace.
Pope’s visit follows former Roman Catholic Church priest András Hodász’s resignation, citing church divisions and pressure to remain silent.
“The devil hides in the details,” Hodász told BBC. Hungary pursues peace. An abrupt ceasefire may harden frontlines. That contradicts the Holy Father’s exhortation for Russia to return home. Pope supports Ukraine’s self-defense.”
He added: “The same public figures who condemned the Pope over migration in the past were now welcoming him with open arms.”
“Public opinion seems as fickle and manipulable as the wind,” he added.
First visit after bronchitis treatment. Pope visited Ukraine after visiting Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal
Moreover, On Friday, Pope Francis will visit Premier Orban and pro-family Hungarian President Katalin Novak.
While, On Saturday, the Pope will visit homeless refugees from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan.
Hungarian authorities help persecuted Christians globally.
Despite anti-migration sentiment, Hungary supported 35,000 Ukrainian refugees last year.
Afterward, The Pope’s journey concludes with Sunday’s mass on Kossuth Square in front of the Hungarian parliament.
