Pope Francis met with Orbán’s main political adversary

Pope Francis on Saturday received Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony who was accompanied at the meeting by his wife, daughter and son, the mayor’s office said.

The office noted in a statement that on the first day of his visit, the pope “described Budapest as a city of history, bridges and saints”, adding that at Saturday’s meeting he said that “instead of walls, bridges are needed”. Karácsony expressed thanks to the pope for giving the city’s residents an opportunity to gain strength and courage from his visit and remarks about Budapest during a period of crises.

The statement cited Karácsony telling Pope Francis that “Budapest is a free and diverse city of solidarity which pays special attention to supporting those in need, the poor and refugees”. It added that Karácsony and the pontiff had shared similar views concerning social justice, climate protection and environmental protection. Karácsony welcomed the fact that the Vatican had chosen the Chain Bridge as the symbol of the papal visit, referring to the need for building bridges between people, which the mayor also considers his mission, according to the statement.

“Instead of walls, bridges are needed”: