Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Sunday morning left on an official visit to Qatar, Orban’s press chief said.
Orbán is visiting Qatar at the invitation of the country’s prime minister and will address the Qatar Economic Forum at the invitation of the emir, Bertalan Havasi told MTI. The prime minister’s delegation will include Finance Minister Mihály Varga and Economic Development Minister Marton Nagy.
Orbán’s talks in Qatar are set to focus on boosting bilateral energy, economic and financial cooperation, exploring new investment opportunities as well as topical global political issues. Hungary’s delegation aims to strengthen the country’s energy security, Havasi said, adding that in respect of the war in Ukraine, it supports a peaceful diplomatic settlement instead of “harmful sanctions and forcing war politics”.
Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, will hold talks in Beijing on Monday with his schedule including “critically important topics” to be discussed.
In a post on Facebook, the minister said a major topic to be discussed is the Ukraine-Russia war. In this context, the foreign minister said efforts towards bringing about peace were of particular significance. Hungary supports the peace plan put forward by China, for two reasons, he said. “One is that the plan is about peace. The other is that the plan as such does exist,” Szijjártó said.
Szijjártó said another topic to focus on was Europe-China ties. Hungary does not want those ties to sour, he said, adding that “we consider China not as a country posing a risk, but one with which cooperation can offer us enormous opportunities”. A western-eastern (Europe-China) economic cooperation may yield a division of labour that could benefit both sides, the foreign minister said, making reference to Hungary that has become “an integration point” of western-European and Chinese investments.
In connection with the topic of the European automotive industry, Szijjártó said that “it is clear to us that the European automotive industry cannot successfully make a transformation into producing electric vehicles without the participation of Chinese suppliers”. He said that global efforts to combat climate change could not be successful without “putting transportation on a new, electric base”. During his visit, the Hungarian foreign minister will hold talks with Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and the CEOs of several major companies, among others.
Here are some good pieces of advice if you stay in Hungary as a tourist. There are some things you should do and other you might want to avoid.
Read here the first part of the list about what to do and avoid in Hungary as a tourist.
Exchange HUF and watch out for ATMs
Although some hotels, restaurants, and shops accept EUR as a means of payment, the official currency of the country is HUF. Therefore, it is highly advised to exchange money when you visit Hungary. In addition, in many shop, they are not happy if the person pays with a larger denomination banknote. When choosing an ATM, you should also be careful, beacuse there are places where they charge particularly high bank fees.
Validate your ticket
Public transport users should pay close attention to the ticketing system in order to stay compliant and avoid heavy fines. Most of the tram and metro stations have vending machines for purchases, and after getting on, you have to validate the tickets, which are either printed or punched by the machine. The buses also deserve special attention, some of which you can board anywhere, while others can only be boarded at the front door, presenting the tickets to the driver as well.
How much to tip
The service fee is charged automatically by some restaurants, but where it is not, tourists are advised to leave a tip of around 10 percent, adding that it is enough if the person tells the waiter the rounded amount from which he requests the change. Also note that when you pay, if you hand out a banknote and say “thank you”, many people interpret it as meaning that the staff can keep the change.
No smiling in Hungary?
According to the latest study, every second Hungarian is unhappy in Hungary. Respondents in Hungary reported the lowest levels of happiness: only 50 percent of them said they were happy. Maybe this is why foreigners do not recommend smiling too much in Hungray to each other. Greetings, on the other hand, are a basic etiquette rule in smaller shops, which is why we recommend saying “Jó napot!” (meaning Good day!).
There are not enough doctors
Insurance is recommended before any trip, but foreigners are not very optimistic about public health in Hungary. They say there are often insufficient staff and it is not easy to find English-speaking nurses and doctors. They prefer private clinics if it is not a vital issue. On the other hand, there are plenty of pharmacies in the city center, they are also open 24 hours a day, which is a plus for us on the list.
László Kövér, the Speaker of Parliament, has arrived in Seoul for an official visit, Parliament’s press office said on Monday.
Kövér had talks with Chang-Yang Lee, the trade, industry and energy minister, and referred to South Korea as Hungary’s key strategic partner in the region … in terms of trade and investments”, adding that Hungary was committed to the further development of relations. In 2019 and 2021, South Korea was the largest foreign investor in Hungary, with investments worth more than 6.8 billion US dollars in 2020. In 2020, 130 Korean companies employed 15,206 people in Hungary, and the Hungarian government has strategic agreements with multiple Korean companies, he noted.
As well as the manufacture of machines, batteries and parts, Hungary wants to make use of cooperation opportunities in the areas of space research and nuclear energy, he said. In 2024, a meeting of the Hungary-Korea mixed economic committee will be held in Budapest, he further noted. Chang-Yang Lee said Hungary provided a stable and secure economic environment for South Korean companies, according to the parliamentary press office statement. The officials also discussed the training of industrial professionals in Hungary, and cooperation in the training of engineers.
met the head and members of the Korean-Hungarian friendship section of the Korean National Assembly, as well as those of the Korean Hungarian Friendship Society. Also, he visited the Liszt Institute in Seoul and was briefed about bilateral cultural relations. On Tuesday, the speaker will have official talks with Kim Jin-pyo, President of the Korean National Assembly.
Parliament speaker holds talks with S Korean counterpart
László Kövér, the speaker of Hungary’s parliament, met Kim Jin-pyo, his South Korean counterpart, for talks in Seoul, the press office of parliament told MTI in a statement on Tuesday. At the talks, Kövér called Hungary’s partnership with South Korea “a success story” in terms of building international relations. Hungarian-South Korean relations have steadily developed since 1989, the year when the two countries’ leaders made “a wise decision” to establish diplomatic relations, he said, adding that relations had by now been elevated to a strategic level.
The government’s foreign policy decision of opening to the east in 2010 has also been vindicated by the fact that South Korea has been the most active investor in Hungary over the past three years, Kövér said. The Hungarian speaker underlined the important role South Korea plays in connecting Hungary, central Europe and the whole of Europe with the eastern part of the Euro-Asian region. He said that in addition to regular cooperation between committees, friendship chapters and offices, Hungary’s parliament was ready to cooperate with South Korea in international organisations on promoting the protection of common values and interests.
Kövér welcomed the launch of direct flights between Budapest and Seoul in the summer which he said would hopefully help return bilateral business and tourism ties to a pre-pandemic level. He underlined the importance of education cooperation, noting state grants offered under the Stipendium Hungaricum scheme to 100 South Korean students in 2024. At the talks, Kim Jin-pyo said that South Korean investments in Hungary had boosted not only bilateral ties but the economic growth of his country as well. South Korea seeks to strengthen cooperation with Hungary also in the areas of education, science, culture and tourism, he said. Kim thanked the Hungarian government for supporting Pusan’s candidacy to host the 2030 world expo.
Preserving the Earth for future generations and meeting climate targets is contingent on making investments in nuclear energy and the electric vehicle industry, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in a panel discussion on energy affairs in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Green targets – no politics
Hungary’s government aims to maintain a well-balanced approach to investments in energy and environmental protection as both aspects are needed to boost competitiveness, the foreign ministry cited Szijjártó as saying. “We never considered a green deal or green targets as political or ideological issues but ways to protect the planet for future generations,” he said. Instead of seeking to profit from political communications, the international community should prepare well-grounded, pragmatic and realistic strategies, he said. Hungary is one of fewer than twenty countries in the world that has managed in recent years to reduce harmful emissions while boosting economic growth, he said.
Green change realistically – goes the video’s title:
As part of this strategy, Hungary will become climate neutral by 2050, and by expanding nuclear and solar energy capacities, 90 percent of electricity production will become carbon neutral by 2030 as against the current 65 percent, he added. Solar energy capacity will grow from the current 4,500 megawatts to 12,000 megawatts by 2050 and nuclear energy capacity from 2,000 megawatts to 4,400 megawatts, he said. Szijjártó warned that burden-sharing could not be called fair when countries that contribute to climate change the least suffer its consequences the most. The largest polluters should take a much greater role in cutting their emissions, he said.
Abu Dhabi in photos:
Paks nuclear power plant extension helps Earth?
Some 14 percent of global air-polluting emissions are linked to public road transport, he said, adding that there was “no hope” of preserving Earth and climate targets without making the transition to electric vehicles, he said, adding that developed countries must work together on this. Hungary has taken great responsibility in this field as the fourth largest electric battery producer in the world, he said, adding that the country was becoming a meeting point for Eastern and Western companies in the sector. Szijjártó said that nuclear energy was a safe and environmentally friendly method for producing energy, enabling states to become independent of the fluctuations of international markets. The project to add new reactor blocks to the Paks nuclear power station will enable carbon dioxide emissions to be reduced by 17 million tonnes and gas use by 3-3.5 billion cubic metres annually, he added.
Despite all these advantages, further efforts are needed to fight discrimination against nuclear energy in the European Union, he said. Some EU member states, he added, were trying to hinder the ongoing Paks expansion project. Szijjártó said the German government’s refusal to approve an earlier approved deal for Siemens Energy to supply control technology for the Paks plant was “unfair” and “an attack against Hungary’s sovereignty”.
President Katalin Novák on Saturday attended the coronation of Charles III of the United Kingdom. And she did not go without gifts. We present them below.
Novak was the first sitting Hungarian president to attend the coronation of a British monarch. Charles was anointed by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in Westminster Abbey on Saturday morning, in front of 2,300 guests. Novák greeted King Charles III and Queen Camilla in a tweet later on Saturday. “On behalf of Hungary, I wish God to bless King Charles III and Queen Camilla on this memorable day for your family and nations. I am confident that British-Hungarian relations will continue to strengthen under your reign. God save the king! Long may you reign,” Novák said.
On behalf of 🇭🇺, I wish God to bless King Charles III and Queen Camilla on this memorable day for your family and nations. I am confident that British-Hungarian relations will continue to strengthen under your reign. God save the king! Long may you reign.🇬🇧
📸:AFP/Jonathan Brady pic.twitter.com/DjoJUpANW2
Coronation gifts I. – László Márton – Horse statuette
Representing Hungary, I will attend the coronation ceremony of the British Royal Couple tomorrow. In accordance with customs, I am preparing for the occasion with several gifts. It is generally known that King Charles III has a passion for horses. The late Laszlo Márton, one of the greatest figures of 20th century Hungarian sculpture, was a good friend to King Charles. Márton even visited the then heir to the throne, who opened one of Márton’s exhibitions in the UK. This is why I decided in favour of one of Márton’s statuettes, Novák wrote on her Facebook page.
Coronation gifts II – Hiking boots bearing the monograms of the Royal Couple
“The Royal Couple have a real love for the natural world and enjoy hiking very much. Being a Blue Trail hiker, I know that good hiking boots are indispensible for the proper hiking experience. That is why I will gift hiking boots to the Royal Couple, made special by the engraved monograms of King Charles and Queen Camilla”, the Hungarian President wrote.
The website Lonely Planet has collected some good advice for those planning their trip to Hungary, especially Budapest. Before visiting Budapest, you should read this list of things to do – and things to avoid.
Learn a few words in Hungarian
Before you travel to Hungary, you might want to learn a few Hungarian expressions. If you know how to say “hello” and “cheers”, you will automatically be more liked by the locals. However, watch out for pronunciation. As The Lonely Planet points out, you can easily mess up the pronunciation of the word “egészségedre”. Make sure you get the accent right on the “é” in “egészségedre” (“egg-ees-sheeg-ed-re”), and don’t accidentally say “egészsegedre” (“egg-ess-shegg-ed-re”). The first means “to your health,” but the other is “to your whole ass.”
Read our article where we have collected some basic expressions if you want to start learning Hungarian.
Pack your own things if you visit a bath in Budapest
Budapest is full of beautiful historic thermal baths, so once you are in the Hungarian capital, you should definitely pay a visit to one. However, look out for the high prices. If you rent a towel and sandals, each could cost HUF 5000 (EUR 13,44). Therefore, if you want to avoid these exra costs, you might want to pack your own things when going to a bath. In addition, in Hungarian bathhouse pools, swimming caps are mandatory. This rule is important to prevent the pools from stray hairs clogging the pool drains.
Use transport and taxi apps for travelling
The Hungarian capital is famous for its exellent public transportation, and you can easily navigate with the help of the BKK app. You can discover the schedules and routes of the buses, trams, metro lines and trolley buses in the app. Moreover, if you prefer the taxi, it is also worth downloading one of the taxi apps, such as Bolt. Usually, locals do not hail taxis but use the app to call one. Once you have ordered your taxi via the app, it will be there within a few minutes.
Book museum tickets in advance
It is true for most big cities that are popular with tourists that it does not hurt to buy tickets for popular museums in advance, even online, especially during peak season. It pays off to buy tickets for the most famous museums in advance, beacuse you will not have to stand in line. The most popular museums and exhibitons in Hungary include the Hungarian National Museum, Hungarian National Gallery, Museum of Applied Arts, Hall of Art. If you are looking for more unique museums in Budapest, here is a list for you.
Avoid these areas in Budapest
Although Budapest is one of the safest cities, and was even voted Europe’s second-safest destination for women, there are some neighbourhoods you should avoid. The first are you should avoid is Hero Street in Budapest’s 10th district (Kőbánya). The horror district of Hős Street is one of the most frightening examples of slums in Budapest, with an extremely high crime rate. Next, if you want some peace and quiet, we recommend staying away from the party districts that are found in the 6th and 7th districts. In addition, during the night, you should be extremely careful or even avoid underpasses (if possible) and choose another more visible and adequately lit way to get home.
The worst underpasses at night are 14th district’s Örs vezér Square, at Kelenföld Station (11th district), Blaha Lujza underpass (7th district) and Nyugati Station (6th district).
Economy Development Minister Márton Nagy visited Azerbaijan on Friday, where he discussed current economic developments with Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov.
At the talks, Nagy praised the progression of Azeri-Hungarian ties even as the war in Ukraine and EU sanctions “severely harm the global economy by stoking distrust and uncertainty.” Azerbaijan is a strategic partner of Hungary, with bilateral trade at nearly 50 million dollars annually, he said.
Azerbaijan is also an important partner in ensuring energy security and sovereignty in Hungary, and part of the Solidarity Ring initiative designed to transport energy to southern and eastern Europe from Central Asia, he added. Nagy also signed a labour action plan with Sahil Babayev, the Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population. The action plan aims to strengthen labour policy cooperation and sharing of best practices and experiences, he said.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala paid a visit to Vietnam last week. He arrived in the capital city of Hanoi with a business delegation of 15 companies. Four of these operate in the weapons industry.
One of the four companies is Aero Vodochody. Previously in 2021, Vietnam bought a dozen of L-39NG light combat aircrafts, produced by the firm. The shipment of the planes starts now in 2023. Why does it bear importance? Aero Vodochody is majority-owned by the Hungarian HSC Aerojet, which is in the hands of the Hungarian state, Portfolio explains.
Czech-Vietnamese weapon ties
Prague is the European Union’s main provider of weapons to Hanoi. The Czech arms industry is known to specialise in the modification and modernisation of old Soviet weaponry. They also produce such weapons, which are compatible with old Russian equipment. Considering that 80 percent of Vietnam’s arms stockpiles consist of old Russian/Soviet military gear, arms deals with Czechia seem like the perfect way to renew their weaponry.
The Czech company Omnipol is also part of the delegation. They are minority holders in Aero Vodochody, and owners of Aircraft Industries, which makes the L 410 NG, a twin-engine 19-seat aircraft. Vietnam may end up buying some of these cargo planes, along with radars and other Czech-made military equipment.
Hungarian ownership ties
Aero Vodochody was the largest Czech aircraft-producing company. HSC Aerojet bought the shares of the firm back in August 2021. At that time, Aerojet was in the ownership of current Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky. To conduct the purchase, the firm had to procure a loan of around 140 million euros, which Szalay-Bobrovniczky received from the Hungarian Development Bank, a state-owned financial institution.
After Szalay-Bobrovniczky was appointed minister, he sold his shares in Aerojet to Zsolt Hernádi, the CEO of the government-affiliated Hungarian oil and gas company, MOL. Later in October 2022 Hernádi transferred these to the N7 Holding National Defence Industrial Innovation Ltd (N7 Holding Nemzeti Védelmi Ipari Innovációs Zrt). This governmental holding is a conglomerate of different national defense industry firms.
In Spring 2022 the government ordered 12 of the L-39NG aircrafts for the Hungarian army. According to estimations, the deal may have cost up to HUF 60-70 billion (EUR 160 million-186 million).
In a nutshell, the Hungarian government granted a loan to a government-affiliated businessman to buy an aircraft company. Once Szalay-Bobrovniczky was appointed minister, he sold the rights to the company to another government-affiliated businessman, from whom then the government purchased it.
Pope Francis left Budapest following an official farewell ceremony on Sunday afternoon, with his aircraft taking off from Liszt Ferenc International short after 6pm. The pontiff concluded a three-day apostolic visit to Hungary.
He was bid farewell by President Katalin Novák, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, Hungarian church leaders and around a hundred of volunteers waving flags of Hungary and the Vatican. Novák earlier handed over a bundle of cheese-straws she had personally prepared for the pope as a farewell gift, MTI wrote.
Pope Francis warns of risks of ‘shifting from communism to consumerism
Pope Francis, in his address at the Pazmany Peter Catholic University, warned of the risks of “shifting from communism to consumerism” in a closing event of his three-day visit to Budapest. Meeting representatives of academic and cultural life at the university’ Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics on Sunday afternoon, the pontiff emphasised the importance of self-knowledge, the recognition of one’s limitations and curbing the presumption of self-sufficiency. He said the first of two thoughts he wanted to leave with his audience was “Know thyself”, citing the famous maxim from the temple of Delphi. Knowing yourself, the pope said meant that “we must be able to recognise our limitations and, consequently, to curb the presumption of self-sufficiency”. He said that “once we realise that we are creatures, we become creative”, adding that “we learn to immerse ourselves in the world instead of attempting to dominate it”.
The second thought Pope Francis said he wanted to leave with those present concerned truth. He cited Jesus who said that “the truth will make you free”. He said that “Hungary had seen a succession of ideologies that imposed themselves as truth, yet failed to bestow freedom”. “Today too, the risk remains. I think of the shift from communism to consumerism. Common to both those ‘isms’ is a false notion of freedom. Communism offered a ‘freedom’ that was restricted, limited from without, determined by someone else. Consumerism promises a hedonistic, conformist, libertine ‘freedom’ that enslaves people to consumption and to material objects”, the pope said.
He said it was easy “to pass from limits imposed on thinking, as in communism, to the belief that there are no limits, as in consumerism! To pass from a blinkered freedom to an unbridled freedom”. Closing his address, Pope Francis expressed hope that every university “will always be a beacon of universality and freedom, a fruitful workshop of humanism, a laboratory of hope”. “I bless you from the heart, and I thank you for all that you are doing. Köszönöm szépen! (Thank you very much!),” said the pontiff.
Appearing before some 11,000 young Hungarians, Pope Francis said on Saturday afternoon that “remember that no one can take your place in the history of the Church and the world: no one can do what only you can do”. In his address at the event in the Papp László Sports Arena, the pope spoke about the importance of dreams, ambitions, community-building and team-work, also highlighting the importance of silence and prayer.
Calling those in attendance in the arena his friends, the pontiff told them that “each of you is precious to Jesus, and also to me!”. “Remember that no one can take your place in the history of the Church and the world: no one can do what only you can do. Let us help each other, then, to believe that we are loved and precious, that we are made for great things. Let us pray for this and encourage one another in this!” said the pope. Speaking about the followers of Jesus, the pontiff said “Jesus does not want his disciples to be like schoolchildren who merely repeat lessons learned, but young people who are free and press ahead, fellow travellers of a God who listens to their needs and is attentive to their dreams”.
“Jesus does not shatter their ambitions, but corrects them about the right way to achieve them. He accepts their desire for greatness, but he insists on one thing that we too must always remember: it is not by stepping upon others that we become great, but by stooping to help them. We do not achieve greatness at the expense of others, but rather by serving them,” Pope Francis said. He said that Jesus “never disparages our expectations but, on the contrary, raises the bar of our desires,” adding that “Jesus would agree with a proverb of yours, which I hope I pronounce well: Aki mer az nyer (Those who dare, win the prize)”. The pope encouraged his audience “to aim high”, “put your talents to good use” and “invest in the great goals of life”.
The event was introduced by a greeting speech of the Hungarian lead bishop Ferenc Palánki, and the testimonies of four youths. The pope was presented with the gifts given by the youth that included a soccer ball carrying the signature of the legendary player Ferenc Puskás, a Rubik’s cube and a bottle of sweet wine from the Tokaj region.
Pope Francis: ‘We need a Church fluent in language of charity’
Pope Francis said “we need a Church that is fluent in the language of charity” in St. Elizabeth’s Church where he met the poor, refugees and representatives of the Greek Catholic community, in Budapest on Saturday morning. In the church, named after the Hungarian saint patron of the poor, the pope thanked the Church in Hungary for its generous and wide-ranging service to charity. “Thank you too, for having welcomed – not only with generosity but also with enthusiasm – so many refugees from Ukraine,” he said.
The pontiff afterwards heard testimonies of life including a Roma woman from Mariapocs, in north-eastern Hungary, a father and his family who fled the war in Ukraine and the Budapest-based Csak Egyet charitable foundation aiding homeless people. The pontiff said that Saint Elizabeth, to whom the Hungarian people have great devotion and affection, “spoke the language of charity”. He said that when it comes to aiding the poor, the sick and the homeless “it is not enough to provide bread to fill stomachs; we need to fill people’s hearts!” The pope said that “charity is much more than material and social assistance. It has to do with the whole person; it strives to put people back on their feet with the love of Jesus: a love that helps them to recover their beauty and their dignity”.
According to the plans, Budapest’s brand-new Madame Tussauds will open in the first half of 2023, but the exact date is not yet set. However, they revealed their first wax figure this week. And he is related to the 2023 papal visit in Budapest.
24.hu found a reels video shared by Madame Tussauds Budapest about their first wax figure depitcing Pope Francis. The pontiff is now on an apostolic three-day-long visit in Budapest. The Catholic leader met with political and church leaders, visited several institutions, delivered a speech for young Hungarians and celebrated the Sunday mass on Kossuth Square.
Thus, it is not surprising that the first wax figure of Budapest’s Madame Tussauds will depict Pope Francis. The exhibition will open with 51 figures, including 17 Hungarians. However, the other 50 figures have not been revealed yet.
That will be the second Madame Tussauds depiction of the pope. The first Pope Francis figure was exhibited in New York in 2015, and it was made in remembrance of the pontiff’s visit in the Big Apple. Pope Francis’ figure will await visitors in the “Leaders of the World” room. HERE you can check out the official video of the wax figure.
The first plans were about opening Budapest’s Madame Tussauds in early 2022, but was postponed until this spring. VIP tickets for kids will be HUF 7,190 (EUR 17.72). However, a family ticket’s price (2 adults, 2 kids) is HUF 24,990 (EUR 60.36), and you can buy it online. The official ticket sale kicked off on 17 February 2023.
They wanted to present 50 figures. It seems they added Pope Francis only because of his visit. The Hungarian organiser of the exhibition is the Dorottya Experience Ltd. Its owner is József Kreinbacher, a construction entrepreneur and champagne maker, one of the wealthiest Hungarians. And it seems the other 50 figures’ “identity” will be kept secret until the grand opening.
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.
Pope Francis paid a private visit to the László Batthyány-Strattmann Roman Catholic children’s home where he met blind and visually impaired children on Saturday morning.
The pope was shown around in the facility where the home’s residents gave a short programme and presented the pontiff with gifts prepared by them. Pope Francis received a blue-and-white and yellow-and-white small bag representing the Argentinian and the Vatican flag. He was also presented with a yellow-and-white rosary with a small Franciscan cross made of wood and two letters, one carrying the message of the home’s children in Italian and Braille and the other telling the story of the healing of a blind boy.
Accepting the gifts, Pope Francis said thanks for “the tenderness” with which he was welcomed in the institute. “Thank you for the songs, the gestures, and your eyes. Thank you, mister director, for opening this meeting with the prayer of Saint Francis,” said the pope. The pontiff said it was a lot easier to mastermind various ideas and ideologies than “accepting reality just as it is, yet that is the way to follow the Gospel”.
“The bishops, priests, monks, and nuns martyred during atheist persecution testify Hungarians’ rock-hard faith,” Pope Francis said in Saint Stephen’s Basilica on Friday.
The pope, who met leaders of the Hungarian Catholic Church, commemorated Cardinal József Mindszenty, and quoted the late cardinal as saying “if there are one million Hungarians praying, I am not afraid of the future”. “Be welcoming, make a testimony of the evangelical tidings, but first of all, be people of prayer, because that is what history and the future depends on,” the pope said. Francis also thanked Hungarian priests, monks, and their co-workers “for their faith and faithfulness”. He made a special mention of Hungarian Mary Ward sisters, who had fled to Argentina during the times of persecution, who had been especially kind to him. The pope said one of the Church’s most important tasks was to interpret changes in the world and to “face pastoral challenges”, and advocated “looking to Christ as our future”.
“Our life, fragile as it is, is firmly in Christ’s hands, and if we forget about that, we, pastors and laymen, will find human solutions to save ourselves from the world, isolated in our comfortable and peaceful religious oases. Or the opposite, we will adapt to the changing winds of a mundane world, which leads to Christianity losing its power and ceasing to be the salt of the Earth,” the pope said, and warned against “both temptations”. The Scriptures provide “new vision against catastrophic low-spiritedness or a mundane spirit of conformism”, the pope said. Through the Bible, one can “learn to recognise the signs of God’s presence in the world … even when presented in the form of a challenge or question” he added.
“All should be interpreted in the light of the Gospel, as witnesses and preachers of Christian prophesy,” Francis said. Francis warned, however, that in Hungary, in which “the tradition of the faith has solid roots”, there have appeared the “signs of secularisation … jeopardising the unity and beauty of the family, exposing young people to the temptations of a material and hedonisting ideal of life”. The Church, therefore, is faced “with the temptation of locking itself up and becoming militant. Yet, this reality could also offer an opportunity for discussion and asking questions,” he added.
Christian communities have an obligation for dialogue, an obligation that they should “be present and make a testimony, able to listen to questions and face challenges without fear or rigidity,” Francis said. On arriving at the basilica, the pope was greeted by Cardinal Péter Erdő, the head of the Hungarian Catholic Church, and Bishop Andras Veres, the leader of the Hungarian Bishops’ Conference. In his address, Veres said Hungary was going through an “extremely big social, political, spiritual, and religious transformation” and the Church was “seeking ways to face the new challenges”. The Hungarian Catholic Church is working to be an active participant in the changes rather than being a passive observers, he said.
Among the challenges, Veres mentioned secularisation, hedonism, indifference to biblical values, as well as “difficulties of passing on the faith in the family” and the dwindling number of priests. At the same time, he pointed to “new and welcome expressions of religious life” such as new religious movements, Catholic schools and universities, and “greater presence and involvement of laymen in church life”. Addressing the pope, the bishop said Hungarians would welcome his guidelines “on this way because we want to make a credible testimony in a changing world that our future is in Christ”.
He said Hungarian sentences several times during his speech delivered in the Sándor palace yesterday. One was the first line of the Hungarian national anthem: “Isten, áldd meg a magyart!” (God bless the Hungarians). Here is the speech, the aforementioned sentence can be heard during the last few seconds:
And here is his full speech delivered in the St. Stephen’s Basilica:
Reformed Church: State, churches both ‘consider Christianity crucial’
Pope Francis’s visit to Hungary is a “recognition of the exceptional accord between the churches and the Hungarian state” with both sides “considering Christianity of vital importance”, the synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church said in a statement on Friday. The Hungarian state recognises “the power of Christianity to build culture and create a way of life”, the church said in a statement. Referring to the pope’s speech, the statement quoted Francis as “warning the church against being too close to power”, adding that “this warning is worth considering”.
In its statement, the synod voiced agreement with Francis concerning “the temptation of false freedoms: mixing up the sexes and declaring the right to abortion as a freedom right”. In the statement, signed by bishop Zoltán Balog, the synod thanked Frances for “speaking up against war rhetorics” and his noting ethnic Hungarians as “important constituents of the Hungarian nation”.
Jobbik: Pope ‘goes where he is needed most’
The opposition Jobbik-Conservatives on Friday called Pope Francis’s return visit to Hungary “a great honour”. “The Holy Father always goes where he is needed most … and his humanity and teachings provide the Hungarian nation, believers and non-believers alike, with a secure foundation,” the party’s leader, Marton Gyongyosi, said in a statement, adding that Jobbik considered the pope’s teachings as a guideline at all times, especially when it came to political activities “serving the public benefit”.
He added that Jobbik sought to “make solidarity a fundamental political value once again in Hungary”. He said as soon as his party had an opportunity, Jobbik-Conservatives would “restore the rule of law, eliminate political corruption, and put the [public] media back in the service of the public benefit.” He called for the media to “work on the basis of truth, freedom, justice, and solidarity.”
The Hungarian state railways, MÁV, state-owned bus company, VOLÁN, and the railway service provider GYSEV offer free tickets from today. But there is a trick concerning all means of public transport in Budapest.
According to Blikk, those who travel to Budapest to partake in the holy masses on 29 April on the Rózsák tere (Roses Square, 7th District) and on 30 April on the Kossuth Square (5th District) in Budapest can travel free on those days. The offer is valid for a return ticket, provided someone travels home on Sunday.
People having a valid entrance ticket to the Saturday events on Rózsák tere (Roses Square) or the Papp László Budapest Sports Aréna can travel free from Friday noon. They will only have to show their entrance ticket to any of those events to the ticket inspector or driver, Blikk, a Hungarian tabloid wrote.
Of course, the exemption goes only for 2nd class tickets, but passengers do not have to buy a registration ticket. You may also use MÁV-HÉV, the agglomeration lines of Volánbusz (blue buses), but also outside the jurisdiction of the capital. Furthermore, you may also use the scheduled buses of the Weekendbus, G-Busline Kft., Trans-Tour’90 Kft. and Trans-Vonal Kft. That means the exemption does not apply to the public transport system of Budapest.
Some trains will be longer, and MÁV-Start will serve 1,500 Transcparpathian youth to Budapest to enable them to partake in the Sunday mass. MÁV-Start is to add additional train pairs on the following lines:
Szombathely – Déli pályaudvar (Budapest)
Budapest–Pusztaszabolcs–Dombóvár–Pécs, and Kaposvár lines
Budapest Nyugati Railway Station–Szolnok–Debrecen–Nyíregyháza
Budapest Keleti Railway Station–Szolnok–Békéscsaba
Pope Francis in a speech in Budapest on Friday lamented how “we must watch as the choir singing the dream of peace is eclipsed by the soloists of war pressing forward.” Meeting Hungarian politicians, diplomats and other dignitaries in the Prime Minister’s Office as part of his apostolic visit to Hungary, the pope said that peace was not achieved “by following strategic interests but by pursuing policies focusing on everyone’s interests, people, the poor and the future.”
Citing EU founder Robert Schumann, Francis said: “World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it.” Referring to Ukraine, Francis said the present era posed many dangers, “but where are the creative efforts safeguarding peace?” International politics is “more about inciting antagonism rather than finding solutions … regressing into a kind of warlike infantilism”, the pope said. Referring to Europe’s role, he said it should “summon the lost, embrace peoples, and consider nobody as an eternal enemy.” Pointing to the founding fathers of the community, he said they had been able to cast their glance “across national borders and over immediate needs … and build unity rather than deepening divisions”.
Europe, a melting pot of 27 nations, needs harmony and unity that does not crush the individual parts that fit well into the whole, he said. He quoted Hungary’s Fundamental Law: “We hold that individual freedom can only be complete in cooperation with others … We believe that our national culture is a rich contribution to the diversity of European unity.” “I am thinking of a Europe that does not become hostage to its parts and a victim of self-aggrandising populism, but is also not … a representative of an abstract supra-nationality that ignores the life of its people.” This “small-minded path of ideological colonialism” erases differences, such as so-called gender culture, or puts narrow concepts of freedom before the reality of life, boasting as an achievement, for example, the right to abortion, the pope said.
Here are some photos:
Europe needs to be humane and person-centred, with effective policies for the family and birth, the pontiff said, praising Hungary’s “carefully tended” family policy. Referring to Budapest’s landmark Chain Bridge as an illustration, the pope said its iron couplings summoned an image of Europe “consisting of many differnt links, whose strength is provided by unity”. “Christianity helps in building such a Europe,” he said, adding that Hungary was a bridge-builder since “its different denominations live side by side, without conflict, respecting each another and cooperating in a constructive spirit.”
Francis called Budapest a “city of saints”, mentioning King Saint Stephen as an example, whose instructions to his son were “a kind of spiritual testimony to the Hungarian nation”, especially when it came to passages in which the sainted king advocated love and charity “not only towards kinsmen and relatives, or noblemen, or the rich, or neighbours and people living here, but towards strangers, too”. He quoted Stephen as advocating “the practice of love”, adding “be meek and never resist truth”.
Here is the pope’s speech:
Pope Francis thanked Hungary’s leaders for their support of charity and educational institutions inspired by Christian values, as well as the help they provide to Christian communities worldwide, particularly in Syria and Lebanon. Cooperation between the church and state is productive, he said, adding that for it to remain so, their boundaries must be preserved. “It is important that every Christian remember this and hold the Gospel as a point of reference, and adhere to the free and liberating decisions of Jesus and not commit to the unique logic of power,” Francis said. He welcomed “healthy secularisation”, which he said was not synonymous with the kind of secularisation that “is allergic to all sacred aspects and sacrifices itself on the altar of profit”.
Concerning the “complex” topic of openness to others which “has caused a lot of debate”, Francis said Christians should look to the legacy of St. Stephen, Hungary’s first Christian king. “We must address the problems without excuses and without delay by thinking of Christ, who is there among our many brethren fleeing conflicts, poverty and climate change,” he said. He added that this was an issue that “we must face together because it will affect everyone sooner or later”. He said a common secure and lawful mode of action was urgently needed to face a life-changing challenge which cannot be stopped by rejection; it must be accepted “to create a future which will only exist if it is a common future”.
“This will call to the front the followers of Jesus, those who want to follow the example of the witnesses of the Gospel,” he said. Before his talks with President Novak, the pope made the following entry in the Sandor Palace guest book: “I have arrived as a pilgrim and a friend of Hungary, a country with a rich history and culture. In Budapest, the city of bridges and saints, I am thinking of the whole of Europe and pray that it can be a home for peace in unity and solidarity, and a messenger of inclusion.”
Hungarians and millions worldwide see Pope Francis as “a man of peace”, President Katalin Novak said in her greeting to the pontiff at the Carmelite Monastery on Friday. The president expressed hope that Francis could “talk to Kyiv, Moscow, Washington, Brussels, Budapest and everyone without whom there can be no peace”.
“Here in Budapest, we ask that you personally take action in the interest of securing an urgent, just peace,” she said. “We believe that the arrival of the Holy Father in Hungary is no accident, but the right time and place to meet, to ring the bells and declare peace,” Novák said. God, when the time is right, brings together and gives strength to those who trust the power of love, unity and peace, she added. “Hungarians want to rise to the heights where they can find the unity of Christ’s faithful and well-intentioned people seeking peace,” Novák said.
She said Hungarians wanted the pope’s apostolic visit to give an impetus to that rise to a height “from where we can get a view of the path to spiritual renewal and peace”. “It is we, Hungarians and Europeans who must stay on the right path,” Novák said. “We can receive encouragement, guidance and affirmation for that, but it is only we European people and leaders who can use the free will given to us in a way that will lead to a more peaceful, more democratic and stronger Europe.” Novak noted that St. Pope John Paul II visited Hungary when the country needed him most, at the time of the “new beginning” after the fall of communism. This, she said, was also true of Pope Francis’ visit, because “now is the time when Hungary and Europe needs him most”.
“Your Holiness reaffirms in us that there is a basis for, sense in, and future for life based on Christian values in the 21st century, too,” Novák said. “And we also reaffirm this for Your Holiness. This is what we give each other: life, the protection of the family and the sustaining power of Christianity.” “We are allies,” Novák said, adding that Hungary and the pope both protected “life, woman, man, our persecuted Christian brethren, as well as the freedom of those who think and act differently.” Novák said this alliance had been made “tragically timely” by the war in Ukraine. She underscored the “exemplary” assistance Hungary was providing to the 1.5 million refugees who have fled to Hungary, saying Hungarians saw the pain of the families who have been torn apart. “But we mothers primarily want to win peace, not the war,” she said. “We don’t want to send our sons and husbands to the frontlines.” As Hungary’s first female president, Novák thanked Francis for his encouragement to women in starting families, raising children, and their role as community leaders.
Here are some photos of their meeting:
Pope Farncis greeted young people with the Hungarian President in a live selfie video in Spanish:
President presents Pope Francis with gifts
President Katalin Novák on Friday presented Pope Francis with several gifts on the occasion of his apostolic visit to Hungary. Novák presented Francis with an album of Biblical drawings by Hungarian children and youth. The pope was also given stems of a special rose named after St. Elisabeth. The president also presented the pope with a virgin Mary robe of Andocs. She noted on Facebook this week that Pope Francis had elevated the church in the southern Hungarian village to the rank of minor basilica. The pope was also given a decorative book on the Holy Crown of Hungary. Here photos of the presents:
And here is a video about how Pope Francis arrived to the Buda Castle:
1,500 students to attend papal mass in Kossuth Square
Some 1,500 school students will attend papal mass in Kossuth Square as part of an initiative organised by the Rakoczi Association. The students are arriving from Transcarpathia (western Ukraine), Partium (Transylvania, Romania) and Hungary on Sunday morning at Nyugati railway station, from where they will be transported to the papal mass at Kossuth Square, the organisation said on Friday.
Franciscan monk Csaba Böjte and Miklós Panyi, a state secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office, will receive the students. The statement said the association looked forward to “a beautiful experience for the young people, who will be able to pray together with thousands of Hungarians for peace, for Christian Hungary and for Europe.” The pope’s apostolic visit from Friday to Sunday is being covered by almost all Hungary’s public media channels, including six live broadcasts on Duna TV and Kossuth Rádió.
Postal service issues commemorative stamp
Hungarian postal service Magyar Posta has issued a commemorative stamp in honour of Pope Francis’ three-day apostolic visit to Hungary this weekend. The stamp features a photo of the pontiff along with the motto of his visit, “Christ is our Future”, Magyar Posta said in a statement on Friday. Given the high demand, a total of 5,000 copies of the stamp are being printed instead of the originally planned 3,000, the service said. In 2021, Magyar Posta issued a commemorative miniature sheet to mark Pope Francis’ celebration of the closing mass of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest.
