Ukraine war looms over Pope Francis's trip to Hungary. Beállítások

[Kennocha]

Pope Francis arrives in Hungary on Friday for a three-day pastoral visit - his first full trip to the country since he became Pope 10 years ago.

What kept him away was the tough anti-migrant stance of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in contrast to the 86-year-old pontiff's compassion for all refugees.

What brings him here now, besides his support for Catholics, is the war in Ukraine.

Hungary and Ukraine share a 134km (85-mile) border.

But unlike other EU leaders, Mr Orban has refused to back military aid for Kyiv and maintained relations with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

"It will also be a journey to the centre of Europe, over which the icy winds of war continue to blow," the Pope said ahead of his visit.

The Argentine Pope has been to eastern Europe before - in 2019 to Romania and 2021 to Slovakia. On his way to Slovakia, he stopped for several hours to celebrate mass in Budapest, the closing event of the International Eucharistic Congress.

The pontiff promised to return, and careful Hungarian diplomacy in Rome led to this visit, which is being portrayed by pro-government media as a diplomatic triumph for the Orban government, even a chance to end its international isolation over the war in Ukraine.
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