Hungary and the Vatican: A Unified Front for Peace and the Protection of Christian Communities - Faith & Freedom News

Budapest, Hungary – In a joint press conference held in Budapest on Friday, Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó, and Vatican representative Paul Richard Gallagher reiterated their longstanding commitment to peace and the protection of persecuted Christian communities around the globe.

“We have always been, and will continue to be, the most significant representatives of the peace camp,” Szijjártó declared, praising the Vatican’s dedication to peace-making and highlighting 11 years of collaboration with Archbishop Gallagher. “We greatly appreciate the role and commitment of the Vatican in peace-making,” he added.

At the conference, the ministers addressed pressing global issues, emphasizing that one of the most serious threats facing Europe and the world is the ongoing war in Ukraine. Both Hungary and the Vatican have maintained a consistent stance for peace since the onset of the conflict. Szijjártó underscored the importance of recent milestones such as the Black Sea security agreement and the ban on attacks on energy infrastructure—measures that notably safeguard Hungary.

“It is particularly good news for Hungary that the Russian-American agreement on the prohibition of attacks on energy infrastructure also includes a prohibition of attacks on infrastructure leading to Hungary,” he noted.

Szijjártó also stressed the need to protect Christianity, citing alarming statistics: “Last year, 380 million Christians lived in places where they faced persecution, and there were 4,476 documented cases worldwide of Christians being killed for their faith. This is clearly unacceptable.” The Hungarian government, he confirmed, will continue to support persecuted Christians through the Hungary Helps program, which has already implemented over 400 humanitarian projects in 64 countries using more than 40 billion forints.

Highlighting domestic progress, Szijjártó mentioned that over 15 percent of school-age children in Hungary now attend church institutions—a figure that has more than doubled since 2010, reaching approximately 260 thousand students. “Our government has contributed to the renovation and construction of 400 church public education institutions in the past 15 years,” he emphasized.

In a moment of lighter reflection, the minister expressed joy at learning that Pope Francis had left the hospital and returned to the Vatican. “We pray for his full recovery, and we will always remember his apostolic visit to Hungary with pride,” he stated. He also celebrated the upcoming beatification of the martyr Mary Magdalene Bódi and the Greek Catholic bishop Peter Paul Orosz, underscoring their importance in strengthening the Hungarian Catholic community amid today’s challenges.

Addressing a question from a journalist regarding a recent joint statement by 22 embassies protesting restrictions on the right to assembly in Hungary, Szijjártó was unequivocal. “We are a sovereign state. We have never accepted, and we will never accept, that outsiders want to tell us how to live here. The sovereign National Assembly, elected by the Hungarian people, will decide what laws to adopt,” he warned. “If one of my ambassadors were to ever take part in such an action, I would immediately fire him.”

Concluding his remarks, Szijjártó affirmed, “We will consistently stand for peace in the coming period and support peace efforts with all available means.”