Pope Francis Urges Hungary To Open Doors To Migrants

In closing his visit to Hungary, a nation with a nationalist anti-immigration cabinet, Pope Francis urged Hungarians to "open doors" to migrants.

The pontiff described it as "sad and painful" to see doors closed to people who were "unlike us" while addressing a crowd at an outdoor mass in the nation's capital, Budapest.

The mass was attended by up to 100,000 individuals, including Viktor Orban, the prime minister.

To prevent refugees from entering Hungary, Orban built a barbed-wire border fence.

Pope Francis urged everyone to be more accessible to others, particularly "those with political and social responsibilities" when speaking to the throng on Sunday outside the Hungarian parliament building.

In his words, "the closed doors of our selfishness with regard to others... the doors we close towards those who are foreign or unlike us, towards migrants or the poor."

The 86-year-old Argentinian pontiff rereferred to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022 during the liturgy, BBC reported.

He prayed for "a future of hope, not war," as well as for the "beleaguered Ukrainian people and the Russian people."

He claimed that the Vatican was participating in a peace mission to try to stop the war later, on his way home.

"There is a mission in course now but it is not yet public. When it is public, I will reveal it," he assured reporters.

He added that the Vatican was prepared to make it easier for Ukrainian children who had been transferred to Russia since the invasion to return home.

Kyiv describes the deportation of thousands of Ukrainian youngsters to Russia as a war crime.

The Pope claimed to have spoken with Orban and a leader of the Russian Orthodox Church on the conflict in Ukraine.

Pope Francis made his first significant trip to Hungary in the past ten years during the three-day stay.

According to the BBC's Nick Thorpe in Budapest, Orban's harsh anti-immigrant attitude, which contrasts with his genuine compassion for all migrants, was what kept him away.

Our correspondent continues that in addition to his support for Catholics, the war in Ukraine was what initially drew him to the nation.

Ukraine and Hungary are separated by a 134-kilometer (85 mi) border.

Unlike other EU leaders, Viktor Orban has maintained ties with Vladimir Putin of Russia while refusing to support military aid for Ukraine.

According to our source, the Pope met people from various walks of life during the carefully planned visit to Hungary, including young people, the underprivileged, politicians, and academics.