This weekend, Pope Francis will visit Hungary: a country that has a challenging relationship with the European Union. This means the Pope's trip will be closely followed by all the parties in the country.
Under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Hungary has openly rejected the gender ideology promoted by the EU—a view the country shares with Pope Francis. The Pope has denounced the EU's “ideological colonization.” On occasion, he has even cited concrete examples, like a father who asked his son this typical question.
POPE FRANCIS
October 3rd, 2016
He asked his ten-year-old son, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The son said,“I want to be a girl!” The dad then realized that the school textbooks were teaching gender ideology. And this violates what is natural.
It has not yet been confirmed if Pope Francis will address the topic of general ideology during his 3-day trip.
Another area of tension between the European Union and Viktor Orbán is the reception of refugees. Despite welcoming thousands of Ukrainian refugees following Russia's invasion, the Hungarian Prime Minister has been critical.
Pope Francis thanked Orbán for this gesture during their meeting at the Vatican in 2022. He gave him a medal of St. Martin, who gave his cloak to a needy person. Orbán was quick to emphasize a small detail: that St. Martin did not give away his whole cloak.
Don't forget that he only gave half.
Pope Francis has repeatedly shown his support for welcoming refugees. But he has also recognized that it must be done practically. He said that we must build bridges, not walls.
POPE FRANCIS
We have to make bridges, but the bridges must be made wisely.
The Pope has stated that one of the main focuses of his trip will be meeting with refugees.
Prime Minister Orbán has accepted Ukrainian refugees following the invasion. But he also maintains a less aggressive stance towards Russia than the rest of Europe. Hungary has spoken out against EU sanctions towards Moscow and has recently strengthened economic ties with Russia, despite the international blockade. It should also be noted that Hungary and Ukraine have a long-standing dispute: Western Ukraine is home to thousands of ethnic Magyars and many Hungarians believe the group's rights have been violated by Kyiv's government.
It is expected that Pope Francis will receive a warm welcome in Budapest, which he visited briefly in 2021. The Hungarian Prime Minister has publicly defended Christianity and even traveled to Rome to personally pay his respects to Pope Benedict XVI after his death.
The effects of Pope Francis' 41st international trip will extend beyond the Hungarian Catholic community.
JRB
TR: OJ/AT
