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BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) – Pope Francis on Sunday urged Hungary to “reach out to everyone,” in a veiled criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s anti-migrant policy, as the pontiff opened a visit four days in Central Europe on his first major international outing since bowel surgery in July.
Francis, 84, appeared in good shape on his short visit to Budapest, presiding over a long mass and standing as he waved to the crowd from his open-sided popemobile. He used a golf cart to avoid going long distances indoors and admitted at one point that he had to sit down because “I’m not 15 anymore.” But otherwise, he maintained the grueling pace typical of a papal journey despite his continued recovery.
Francis only spent seven hours in Budapest before arriving in neighboring Slovakia on Sunday afternoon to begin a four-day tour. The unbalanced itinerary suggested that Francis wanted to avoid giving Orban – the type of populist nationalist he frequently criticizes – the political impetus that comes with welcoming a pope for a proper state visit ahead of the elections. in Hungary next spring.
Francis met on his arrival with Orban, whose refugee policies collide with the Pope’s call to welcome and integrate those seeking a better life in Europe. After the meeting, Orban wrote on Facebook: “I asked Pope Francis not to let Christian Hungary perish.
Orban has often portrayed his government as a defender of Christian civilization in Europe and a bulwark against migration from predominantly Muslim countries. In 2015, he rejected proposals to settle refugees from the Middle East and Africa in Hungary and erected a fence along Hungary’s southern border to prevent asylum seekers from entering the country. European Union.
The Vatican said the meeting was held in a “cordial atmosphere” and lasted longer than expected – 40 minutes.
“Among the various topics discussed were the role of the church in the country, the commitment to the protection of the environment, the protection and promotion of the family,” said a Vatican statement.
Vatican and Hungarian officials insisted that Francis was not snubbing Hungary by staying so short, noting that the Hungarian Church and State had only invited him to close an international conference on the Eucharist that Sunday.
It was at the end of this Mass that Francis urged Hungarians to stay true to their religious roots, but not in a defensive way that isolates them from the rest of the world.
“Religious sentiment has been the cornerstone of this nation, so attached to its roots,” he said. “However, the cross, planted in the ground, invites us not only to be well rooted, but also lifts and extends its arms towards everyone. “
He said Hungarians should stand firm in their roots while “opening up to the thirst of the men and women of our time”.
“My wish is that you would be like this: rounded and open, rooted and considerate,” he said.
Orban had a front row seat during mass. During their private meeting, he gave Francis a copy of a letter from 1243 from King Bela IV of Hungary to Pope Innocent IV which informed the Pope that Bela would strengthen the fortifications along the Danube in Hungary. in preparation for a Mongol invasion – proof of Hungary’s long role in preserving Europe’s Christian roots.
Francis brought up this story during his meeting with the country’s bishops, but also urged them to preach a message of openness and dialogue with newcomers.
“Diversity is always scary because it endangers the titles acquired and causes stability,” he said. “But all the same it is a great opportunity because it opens the heart” to the Gospel message of mutual love.
François ‘visit and his last mass in Heroes’ Square took place with few restrictions on coronaviruses even as Hungary, like the rest of Europe, battles new infections fueled by the highly contagious delta variant.
Few in the crowd were wearing masks and no vaccination test or certificate was required to enter. Some 65.4% of Hungarians over 18 are vaccinated.
Matyas Mezosi, a Hungarian Catholic who arrived at the mass site early, was jubilant that the Pope had come so soon after his operation. The 84-year-old pope underwent a 33-centimeter (13-inch) colon removal in early July.
“It’s great to see him recovering from this surgery,” Mezosi said. “The fact that he is here in Hungary today means that he is sacrificing himself to be with us and that he feels good now.”
During the flight from Rome, Francis indeed seemed in good shape. He stayed in the back of the plane to greet reporters for so long that an assistant had to tell him to get back to his seat because it was time to land.
Francis said he was happy to resume his overseas trips after the coronavirus lull and then his own postoperative recovery. “If I’m alive it’s because weeds never die,” he joked about his health, citing an Argentinian saying.
But later that morning, he apologized to a gathering of Christian and Jewish leaders for having to give his speech while seated. In his remarks, Francois warned of a resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe, saying it is a “fuse that must not be allowed to burn”.
The Argentine Pope called on Christians, Jews and people of other faiths to commit to promoting greater brotherhood “so that the outbursts of hatred that would destroy this brotherhood never prevail.”
Hungary’s large Jewish population was devastated in the closing months of World War II, with more than 550,000 Jewish deaths. More Hungarians died in Auschwitz than any other nationality, and more Hungarian Jews perished in the Holocaust than from any country other than Poland and the Soviet Union.
Orban’s government in Hungary has been accused of trafficking in veiled anti-Semitic stereotypes, largely targeting Hungarian-born American financier and philanthropist George Soros, whom the government frequently accuses of interfering in the country’s internal affairs.
Registered churches have been the main recipients of state support under Orban since his return to power in 2010. In addition, around 3,000 places of worship have been built or restored with public funds since 2010.
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AP visual journalists Bela Szandelszky and Helena Alves contributed.
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