Pope travels to Hungary, where he will meet with Orbán against the backdrop of war in Ukraine
Pope Francis departed at 8:21 a.m. for Hungary from Rome-Fiumicino international airport aboard a neo/ITA Airways A320, on a 60-hour visit focused on Budapest and with no further travel due to his mobility and health problems.
Greetings to homeless people
Before leaving, Francis greeted homeless people living near the Vatican before setting out on his trip to Hungary, accompanied by the Prefect of the Dicastery for Charity, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski.
Meeting with Viktor Orbán
Landing at Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt International Airport is scheduled for 10.00 am. The Pontiff is scheduled to meet with the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and migration issues.
Escala in Budapest in 2021
The Pope already made a seven-hour stopover in Budapest in September 2021, during which he promised to return to the Central European country of 9.7 million inhabitants, of which about 39% are Catholic according to the latest 2011 figures.
Meeting with President Katalin Novak
His first official appointment, after the welcome at the airport, will be at the presidential palace where he will meet with the country’s president Katalin Novak – who told the media that she had learned Spanish in order to be able to converse with him – and then he will meet with Orbán, who has been prime minister since 2010.
