The day of mourning will "express the nation's gratitude for the Holy Father and the nation's grief", he said on the official government website kormany.hu.

Semjen, who also leads the co-ruling Christian Democrats, said he was "shocked to learn of the news of the Holy Father's death".

He said "all Hungarians" were grateful to the pope, who called on Hungarians three times by visiting the "national shrine of Csiksomlyo" during his visit to Transylvania before attending the Eucharistic Congress in Budapest and then making an apostolic visit to Hungary.

Semjen said the Holy Father "was rightly called a man of peace", adding that the pope supported peace "in every way", arguing that diplomacy rather than weapons should take hold of events.

The deputy PM also said the pope and the Hungarian people had a special relationship and "a deep connection".

Having worked among Hungarian nuns in Argentina, whenever he met a Hungarian, the pontiff would always say "God bless you!" in Hungarian, Semjen noted.

Prime Minister to attend Pope Francis's funeral

Prime Minister Viktor Orban will attend the funeral of Pope Francis to be held in St. Peter's Basilica, the PM's communications department said on Thursday.

Orban will be a member of the Hungarian state delegation led by President Tamas Sulyok also joined by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen.

Public media commemorates Pope Francis

Hungary's public media is commemorating Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88, with memorial broadcasts today, MTVA said in a statement.

On Monday, Duna and Duna World will air a programme on Pope Francis' meetings with Hungarians, alongside a studio programme and a documentary, followed by a broadcast on Duna of "Francis, the People's Pope", a biographical film.

Duna World will air a documentary on key messages of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest.

The M5 channel will commemorate the pontiff in its history programme, followed by a documentary titled "Our Pope". A film on the life of Saint Peter will follow.

M2 Petofi TV will broadcast Liszt's Requiem from 8pm, performed by the Saint Ephraim Male Choir, one of Hungary's most popular vocal ensembles.

Kossuth Radio will carry Pope Francis's thoughts on Monday, as well as a memorial programme on the most important moments of the pontiff's life and papacy.

Pope Francis' funeral will be broadcast by the M1 and Duna channels as well as Kossuth Radio.

Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference: Life of Pope Francis 'was a testimony to us all'

The whole life of Pope Francis "was a testimony to us all", the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference (MKPK) said in a statement mourning the death of the pontiff on Monday.

The statement said that the MKPK members were "shocked to learn of the pope's death", adding that Francis had set a personal example of love, "especially for the poor, the downtrodden and the needy".

The statement said the pope had maintained a "special relationship with Hungarians around the world and with Hungary".

"All people of good will", it added, would remember Pope Francis in their prayers.

Cardinal Erdo: 'Holy Father held Hungarians close to his heart'

"We fondly remember the Holy Father's visits to Hungary in 2021 and 2023, when it was clear that he held the Hungarian people close to his heart," Cardinal Peter Erdo, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, said on public news channel M1 on Monday.

Peter Erdo said Pope Francis "represented the cause of peace consistently".

The pontiff did not see Europe through the lens of a European, but as a Latin American. "This is important because Europe is not the world; it is very important and we love it, but the world is bigger. And we must be Europeans while also perceiving the movement of the whole world. This is something we could learn from him," Erdo said.

Pope Francis paid special attention to those living on the periphery, both of society and of the world, with whom others barely had contact. It was also important that he purposefully strengthened dialogue with other religions, the cardinal said. "So he loved to cross walls, loved to open doors," he added.

Commenting on his personal ties with the pope, Erdo qualified it as a "lively relationship", adding that they had met "very often". Regarding bishops conferences, he said: "Everything he told us was very sincere and constructive."

DK: 'Francis showed moral greatness, love of humanity'

Pope Francis was exceptional for his "moral greatness and sincere love of humanity", the opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) said in a statement mourning the death of the Pontiff on Monday.

The statement said: "Christians, people of other religions and non-believers alike needed him. He fought for universal values that were not born of holy books, but of the human soul."

The pope "spoke up for the weak, the downtrodden and the persecuted with a passion that shamed secular leftists," it added.

Meanwhile, the deputy leader of opposition party Jobbik wrote in a statement that the Catholic Church "and the entire world has lost a moral compass" who was steadfast in standing up for peace, the poor and human dignity, regardless of religion, origin or social status.

The Our Homeland Movement said it expressed its "sincere condolences", adding in a statement that the party was "shocked to learn of the death of the Holy Father."

President Sulyok: 'Holy Father, rest in peace'

"Holy Father, by the grace of God, rest in peace," President of the Republic Tamas Sulyok wrote in a post on Facebook in commemoration of Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday.

In a caption of a picture of the pope, Sulyok wrote: "He spoke in the language of the people, so that everyone may understand him. And many did. He spoke to us Hungarians several times. We think of him with gratitude."

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

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