It added that during the "cordial" secretariat-of-state meeting, it was agreed that relations were "solid and fruitful", and appreciation was expressed for the Catholic Church's commitment to promoting the development and well-being of Hungarian society.

During his visit in Hungary last year, Francis met with some 35000 Ukrainian refugees who remained in Hungary. Nearly 2.5 million refugees entered the eastern European country early on in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Hungary's PM has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in the war, and has refused to supply Kyiv with weapons, and he has also threatened to veto EU sanctions against Moscow while maintaining Hungary’s strong dependence on Russian energy.

The Hungarian leader also met with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Miroslaw Wachowski, for relations with states.

In a video posted on Facebook after the audience, Orban said "we must grasp the chances of peace", adding the Pope's prayers and the invaluable diplomatic experiences of the Vatican were both needed for that.

Orban said that since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the Vatican and Hungary had been the two countries that continued to believe in peace. "Peace now is within reach," he said.

"While the world is preparing for Christmas, several European leaders are arguing for continuing the war and boosting its intensity," Orban said. "This is dangerous," he said, adding that "we are living dangerous weeks when the war could spread further".

"We must together hold back the world's leaders from taking irreversible decisions; we need a ceasefire as soon as possible so that we can grab the chance for peace," the prime minister said.

Earlier:

Orbán to Meet Pope Again Soon

Hungary's Prime Minister will be received by Pope Francis in an audience in Rome next week, the PM' press chief said in a statement.

The Vatican press office has announced that the pontiff is scheduled to meet the prime minister on Dec 4.

The audience will take place at 8am in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican.

Meanwhile, DK: Orban 'has betrayed' Hungarians in Slovakia

The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) has accused Viktor Orban and his government of "betraying" Hungarians in Slovakia by buddying up with an "openly anti-Hungarian" administration that "will close or merge schools that provide teaching in Hungarian".

DK calls on Peter Szijjarto, the foreign minister, to speak out and stand up for the interests of Hungarians living beyond the borders, senior DK politician Sandor Ronai told a press conference in front of the foreign ministry building, where the party also held a demonstration on Sunday.

The new Slovak government had promised not to curb Hungarian-language use in Slovakia, but then they back-peddled, he said.

"Fidesz is silent," he said, adding that when it came to the issue, everyone from Orban to Szijjarto was "snoozing".

"This is the real problem with the Orban government: when they want to exploit the Hungarian people, they bring them up as a point of reference; but otherwise the Orban government cannot be counted on either within or beyond the country's borders," he said.

Ronai said Orban had been "silent" when his "friend", President Vladimir Putin, "invaded Ukraine". And neither he nor Szijjarto had spoken up when the Russians attacked areas inhabited by Hungarians in Transcarpathia, he insisted.

Photo courtesy: PM's press office

Source: 
MTI - The Hungarian News Agency, founded in 1881.

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