Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday.
A Vatican statement said that after the morning papal audience, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, and Miroslaw Wachowski, its under-secretary for relations with states, received the prime minister.
It added that during the "cordial" secretariat-of-state meeting, it was agreed that relations were "solid and fruitful", and appreciation was expressed for the Catholic Church's commitment to promoting the development and well-being of Hungarian society.
In a video posted on Facebook after the audience, PM Orbán said: "We must grasp the chances of peace", adding the Pope's prayers and the invaluable diplomatic experiences of the Vatican were both needed for that.
PM Orbán said that since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the Vatican and Hungary had been the two countries that continued to believe in peace. "Peace now is within reach," he said.
"While the world is preparing for Christmas, several European leaders are arguing for continuing the war and boosting its intensity," PM Orbán said. "This is dangerous," he said, adding that "we are living dangerous weeks when the war could spread further".
"We must together hold back the world's leaders from taking irreversible decisions; we need a ceasefire as soon as possible so that we can grab the chance for peace," the prime minister said.