Pope Francis met a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church during his pilgrimage to Hungary.
The head of the Catholic Church received Metropolitan Hilarion of Budapest and Hungary on Saturday at the Vatican Embassy in Hungary, the Holy See announced. The meeting between the two took place in a “cordial tone” and lasted about 20 minutes.
Metropolitan Hilarion was formerly the head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s foreign office and now lives in Budapest as archbishop and metropolitan. In the summer of 2022 – a few months after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine – he was transferred to Hungary by the Russian Patriarch Cyril. The Russian Orthodox Church has around 2,300 believers in Hungary.
The 86-year-old pontiff regularly recalls the suffering of the people in Ukraine. However, he does not mention Russia on such occasions. He was invited to Ukraine several times by politicians in Kiev. So far, however, he had not traveled to the country. Francis had last agreed to a trip to Kiev in March – but only on the condition that he could then also travel to Moscow.
Meeting with refugees
Francis had previously met with refugees and thanked Hungary for taking in people from Ukraine. About 600 refugees – mostly from Ukraine – as well as poor people attended the meeting with the Pope at St. Elizabeth’s Church in Budapest on Saturday, while about a thousand others were gathered outside.
The Catholic Church leader listened to the stories of refugees, including that of a father of five who fled the Russian war of aggression. The Pope then thanked Hungary for “housing so many refugees from Ukraine not only with generosity but also with enthusiasm”. At the same time, Francis emphasized the need to “show compassion for all”.
While the government of right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban otherwise pursues a strict anti-migration policy, it has allowed more than two million Ukrainians into the country since the Russian war of aggression began. Most of them, however, traveled on to other countries.
Only about 35,000 Ukraine refugees applied for the “temporary protection” that applies to them in the EU within Hungary. Nevertheless, activists complain about the insufficient support for refugees in Hungary.
The pontiff is in Hungary for a three-day pilgrimage. The visit is his first trip to a country directly adjacent to the war zone since Russia attacked Ukraine. His statements in this context were eagerly awaited in advance. (dpa / AFP)
