2023-04-28 14:39:00
April 28, 2023 / 7:39 a.m.
Pope Francis has condemned gender ideology and the “insane right to abortion” in his first speech in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, before the political, civil and religious authorities, this Friday, April 28, in the Hall of the former Monastery of the Carmelites of the Sándor Palace.
At the headquarters of the Hungarian government, the Pontiff asked that the “Europe of the twenty-seven” not be held hostage to “self-referential populism” and that it not become a “gaseous reality”, or surrender to “abstract supranationalism, which it does not take into account the life of the peoples”.
Following the speech by the President of the Republic of Hungary, Katalin Novák, the Pope condemned the “disastrous path of ‘ideological colonizations’ that eliminate differences, as in the case of the so-called culture of gender ideology.”
He regretted that these colonizations put “reducing concepts of freedom before the reality of life, for example, presuming as a conquest a senseless ‘right to abortion’, which is always a tragic defeat.”
The Pontiff called for effective policies in favor of birth and family. In Europe not enough children are born and its population is aging. At the same time, he stressed that there are places where the population already has an average age of 46 to 48 years.
“In this,” he continued, “the Christian faith helps, and Hungary can act as a ‘pontooner’ (open bridges, N. de R.), making use of its specific ecumenical character; here various faiths coexist without antagonism, collaborating respectfully, with a constructive spirit”.
In fact, the religious composition of Hungary is varied, although, in the Catholic Church, the Latin rite is the majority. However, 5% of the country’s Catholics are of the Byzantine rite, there are between 15% and 17% Calvinists, 3% Lutherans and there is an important Jewish community. In Budapest there are also several ancient Orthodox Churches and pre-Chalcedonian Churches.
help the foreigner
The problem of refugees was also put on the table by the Pope in relation to the example of welcoming some Hungarian saints, such as Saint Stephen.
The reception of refugees and immigrants “is an issue that gives rise to numerous debates today and is undoubtedly complex. However, the underlying attitude for Christians cannot be different from what Saint Stephen conveyed”, noted the Pope.
Therefore, he quoted the Hungarian king: “I recommend that you be kind not only to your family and relatives, or to the powerful and wealthy, or to your neighbor and your inhabitants, but also to foreigners.”
UN data shows that more than 620,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered Hungary since the invasion on February 24, 2022. But according to Hungarian figures, only about 20,000 requested “temporary protection”, which grants them access to local health systems and security. social.
“For this reason,” he said, “it is urgent, like Europe, to work in safe and legal ways, with shared mechanisms in the face of a time challenge that cannot be stopped by rejecting it, but must be embraced to prepare a future that, if we do not do it together, it won’t come.”
War, “warlike infantilism”
The Pope recalled that Hungary experienced, during World War II, “the deportation of hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, with the rest of the population of Jewish origin locked up in the ghetto and subjected to numerous atrocities.”
For this reason, he insisted that international politics work for peace in Ukraine. “In this historical stage the dangers are many; but, I wonder, thinking also of the martyred Ukraine, where are the peace-creating efforts?” he noted.
Therefore, he stated, “it is essential to rediscover the European soul: the enthusiasm and dream of the founding fathers.”
Meeting with Orbán
Before his speech, the Pope had a brief meeting with Prime Minister Victor Orbán, who described the Pope’s visit as “a wonderful moment.”
“This represents for us a confirmation, a support. We are fighting to maintain the Christian way and this is a very difficult fight in this current Europe”. “We fight to maintain the Christian faith, and this war that cries out for peace,” added Orbán.
At the end, the Holy Father and the Hungarian President said goodbye at the main entrance of the Palace. He then went by car to the Apostolic Nunciature, where, upon his arrival, he was received by staff. There he rests and lunches in private.
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