Pope Francis expected in Hungary by Viktor Orban

Pope Francis is expected in Hungary this Sunday.

Shortly after his arrival in Budapest, he must meet Viktor Orban, Heroes' Square in the center of the capital, before celebrating a great mass there.

REUTERS / Alessandro Bianchi

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Traveling in Central Europe, Pope Francis is expected in Hungary and then in Slovakia this Sunday, September 12.

This is the second pontifical trip of the year for him after Iraq last March, the 34th of the pontificate of the Argentine pope.

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With our correspondent in the Vatican

,

Éric Sénanque

If the Vatican insists on presenting this trip as a pilgrimage with its spiritual stages, this visit of

Pope Francis

to Hungary also has an undeniably political character.

Shortly after his arrival in Budapest, François must indeed meet

Viktor Orban

Heroes Square in the center of the capital, before celebrating a great mass there.

Their exchanges will be confidential, but we know that their positions are poles apart on the reception of migrants in particular.

The Pope continues to plead for the reception of refugees when Viktor Orban wants to be the promoter of the closing of the borders.

In a Hungary where the Catholic hierarchy is very discreet in its criticisms of power, Pope Francis should recall the importance of returning to the Gospel.

A journey with an ecumenical and interreligious tone

Pope Francis will only spend a few hours in Budapest before heading to Slovakia.

With no less than five cities visited and twelve speeches in four days, this apostolic journey will also have a strong ecumenical and interreligious tone, with the meeting of Jewish and Roma communities.

A trip that will finally be a real tour de force for Pope Francis, 84, two months after a major surgery and ten days of convalescence spent in hospital.

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  • Pope Francis

  • Vatican

  • Religion

  • Viktor Orban

  • Hungary