Tények (Facts): Viktor Orbán has arrived at the Pope’s funeral. The Prime Minister was accompanied by our colleague Gergely Váczi, who conducted an exclusive interview with him on the plane. The Prime Minister said that the Holy Father always had a special affection for Hungarians, and Hungarians loved him too. He also said that Pope Francis always stood for peace. “[...] he loved us from the very first moment,” Mr. Orbán said, “so the relationship between the Pope and Hungary could be described as one of love.” The Prime Minister gave an exclusive interview to Tények. Gergely Váczi spoke to him on the plane on his way to Rome.
“When we first heard the news that he’d been elected Pope, we were worried that he was a pope from Latin America, and we asked what a man from so far away – a pope from outside Europe – would know about Hungarians. And then came the pleasant surprise that he knew much more about Hungarians, perhaps even more than European popes had known before, because he had actually served with Hungarian monks. As a result he loved us from the very first moment. So the relationship between the Pope and Hungary could be described as affectionate – and it was mutual. The Hungarians generally love popes, and a pope who has a personal relationship with the Hungarians has always been especially loved. It’s enough to remember Pope John Paul II.”
Viktor Orbán met Pope Francis several times. He also recounted some personal memories for our crew.
“He was a gentle man, but in certain matters he was implacable. So on the issue of war, for example, he was at least as determined as we Hungarians; and at our last meeting he encouraged me – I might even say urged me – not to give in to the attacks, pressure and criticisms that are common in the Western world today in relation to the pro-peace position. He said that Hungary should not get involved in the war propaganda that’s destroying the whole of Europe, and even the Western world, but that it should do everything possible to ensure that the voice of peace is heard as loudly as possible, that it’s accessible, and that there’s a flag which the supporters of peace can rally around. Knowing Hungary’s historical traditions, he saw it as a kind of mission for Hungary to stand up for the truth, in other words for peace – even alone, if necessary. And in this we can be counted on.”
The Prime Minister also recalled that the Holy Father had stood up – alongside Hungary – for peace. He therefore hopes that relations with the next pope will be as close.
“The peace debate has been – and remains – a very difficult debate in Europe. The Vatican’s unequivocal support for peace has given metaphysical support to the Hungarian position. It’s not only about the Vatican being on our side in saying that peace is good, but also that one feels that the truth is with us, and that the truth that’s above human disputes is also with us. This is a very great support, especially when a country has to fight alone; and so it’s very important that the next Holy Father gives us the same support.”
Pope Francis and Viktor Orbán not only discussed peace, but also migration. And they agreed on the importance of supporting families.
“The first meeting was special because it was difficult, because there was one issue on which we Hungarians were on a completely different wavelength – and that was the issue of migration. This is understandable, because an Argentinian or Latin American thinks about migration in a very different way from a Hungarian whose country lies on a geopolitical fault line, and which has had very negative experiences with immigrants from other cultures and civilisations, who are sometimes peaceful, sometimes not – and indeed who sometimes appear peaceful, but after a while aren’t. And so there was tension on the migration issue, which characterised our first meeting. There were long consultations on how to conduct this meeting so that we could address more important issues like migration, and avoid discussing the related differences of opinion. So in the first meeting we focused on the family, because, apart from peace, the other big issue that the Pope almost devoted his life to was the issue of families, of supporting families. And so that first meeting turned from being a tense meeting into being a friendly meeting, a meeting of understanding on the issue of families. This led to the Holy Father coming to make an official visit to us a year later.”
Pope Francis will be escorted on his final journey on Saturday morning. The funeral will be attended by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and President Tamás Sulyok. The Holy Father’s funeral will be broadcast live on TV2 on Saturday in a special broadcast from 9:50 a.m.