Pope Francis to visit Hungary this spring
Pope Francis is planned to visit Hungary this year. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had a formal meeting with the Pope in the Vatican last April, after the Hungarian parliamentary elections. At the meeting, the Prime Minister formally invited him to visit Hungary the following year.
The state visit to Hungary will take place in the spring, according to the Hungarian Catholic portal Katolikus.ma.
Official announcement
The visit has not yet been confirmed by the Vatican. Although Index.hu reports that an official announcement must be published by the Vatican, Hungary has already confirmed the news. The press report was confirmed by István Simicskó, the whip of the Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP). Simicskó recently held a press conference in Balatonfüred, Hungary, where he mentioned the visit of the Pope. As he said,
Pope Francis will come to Budapest again at the end of April to visit Hungarians and promote peace.
Preparations for the Pope’s visit have been underway for a while. When President of Hungary Katalin Novák met the Pope in the Vatican last August, she handed over the official letter of invitation. At the same time, Pope Francis confirmed his intention to visit. Preparations for the visit then began in Hungary, Katolikus.ma reports.
The visit
As Katolikus.ma has learned, the visit will last several days. According to their information, the Pope will meet Viktor Orbán and Katalin Novák in Budapest. He also plans to visit members of the diplomatic corps, church representatives and several priests. In addition, he is expected to meet representatives of the historic churches.
Although the exact schedule of the visit has not yet been finalised, the portal acquired information that Pope Francis will celebrate a Holy Mass in St. Stephen’s Basilica. Furthermore, he will reportedly visit Szeged and several Hungarian cities he has not blessed before with his presence.
World Youth Day will be held in Lisbon between 1-6 August this year. Therefore, the theme of the Pope’s visit to Hungary will also be youth. As the portal writes, this visit is likely to assist the Hungarian Church to prepare for World Youth Day.
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Source: katolikus.ma, index.hu