Pope meets Hungary's Orbán, a vocal opponent of European aid to Ukraine

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Moments before praying for "martyred Ukraine" with thousands of visitors gathered in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, one of Europe's most outspoken critics of sending aid to Ukraine.

Orbán met the pope privately for 35 minutes Dec. 4 and then held discussions with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, and Msgr. Miroslaw Wachowski, Vatican undersecretary for relations with states.

The meetings, the Vatican said, included discussions about the war in Ukraine, "focusing on the humanitarian consequences and the efforts to promote peace."

In a post on X after the meeting, Orbán said he "visited the Holy Father because we need to grasp the opportunity for peace."

During the meeting, the pope gave Orbán a sculpture representing care for creation, and the prime minister gave Pope Francis an 1896 copy of "Life of Christ" by Dominican Father Henri Didon as well as an historical map of the Holy Land.

The two had last met in Budapest during the pope's trip to Hungary in 2023 when Pope Francis met with Ukrainian refugees who fled into Hungary following Russia's invasion of their country.

The U.N. refugee agency estimated that 2.5 million Ukrainians had entered Hungary in the first seven months after Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Orbán has been a consistent critic of providing European weapons and funding to support the war effort in Ukraine, threatening to veto European aid packages to Ukraine. During a summit of the European Political Community in Budapest in November, he called for a ceasefire in the war to allow for negotiations.

The Vatican said Orbán and his delegation's meeting with officials from the Vatican Secretariat of State "took place in a cordial atmosphere." The two parties discussed the "sound and fruitful" bilateral relations between Hungary and the Holy See, and "a keen appreciation was expressed for the commitment of the Catholic Church to the promotion of the development and well-being of Hungarian society."

Among other topics discussed were Hungary's presidency of the Council of the European Union, which is ending in December, and "the central role of the family and the protection of the young generations."

Family policies have become a cornerstone of Orbán's government agenda. His administration has introduced financial incentives and tax breaks for parents as part of its efforts to combat declining fertility rates in Hungary.