Pope Francis wrapped up his three-day visit to Hungary on Sunday with a plea for the end of Russia's war on Ukraine and a call for Europe to welcome migrants and the poor. During his visit, Francis has expressed his concern for the plight of neighboring Ukraine, and his appreciation for Hungary's recent welcome of Ukrainian refugees. However, he has challenged the country's hard-line anti-immigration policies, which included the building of a razor wire fence along the border with Serbia to prevent people from entering in 2015-2016. In his Sunday homily on the Danube, Francis urged Hungary and Europe to open their doors and welcome those who are fleeing war, poverty, and climate change, calling for safe and legal migration corridors.
The celebration of Mass on Budapest's Kossuth Lajos Square provided the visual highlight of Francis' visit, with the Hungarian Parliament and Budapest's Chain Bridge as a backdrop. The Vatican reported that around 50,000 people participated in the Mass, with more than 30,000 of them gathered in the square on a sunny spring morning. President Katalin Novak and Hungary's right-wing populist prime minister, Viktor Orban, were among those present, despite their differing views on immigration.
Francis' visit to Hungary, his second in as many years, brought him closer to the Ukrainian front and the heart of Europe, where Orban's government has positioned itself as a bulwark against a secularizing Western world. However, Francis used his visit to call for the continent to rediscover its spirit of unity and purpose, using Budapest's bridges over the Danube River as symbols of connection and unity. The Pope concluded his visit with a speech on European culture at the Pazmany Peter Catholic University before returning to Rome.
The 86-year-old Pope has tried to balance diplomacy in his pleas to end Russia's war, expressing solidarity with Ukraine while keeping the door open to dialogue with Moscow. On Saturday, he prayed with Ukrainian refugees and met with an envoy of Russian Patriarch Kirill, who supports Moscow's invasion and justifies it as a metaphysical battle against the liberal West. During the meeting, Francis kissed the cross of Metropolitan Hilarion, signifying respect for the Russian Orthodox Church. Hilarion, who has good relations with the Vatican as Kirill's longtime foreign minister, attended Francis' Sunday Mass, along with representatives of Hungary's other Christian churches and Jewish community.