According to his account, Mr Orbán handed over to Pope Francis a copy of the letter that King Béla IV of Hungary sent to Pope Innocent IV.
The head of the Catholic Church arrived in Hungary to celebrate the Closing Mass of the International Eucharistic Congress.
In the Museum of Fine Arts, Pope Francis met with President of the Republic János Áder, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, members of the Hungarian Bishops’ Conference, the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Hungary and a delegation of Jewish organisations in Hungary.
The meeting held in the Romanesque Hall of the Museum of Fine arts was attended on behalf of the Hungarian party by President of the Republic János Áder, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, while on behalf of Pope Francis’ delegation by Cardinal-Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Archbishop-Secretary for Relations with States Paul Richard Gallagher.
The meeting described as “cordial” by a statement of the Vatican lasted for around 40 minutes. The head of the Catholic Church and the leaders of Hungary spoke about the role of the Church in Hungary, the commitment to the protection of the environment, and the protection and promotion of the family.
The Pope gifted the President of the Republic with a mosaic reproduction of a painting by the Italian painter Ippolito Caffi made in the mid-1800s which is currently preserved in the Museum of Rome. The painting ‘Papal Blessing in St. Peter’s Square’ depicts St. Peter’s Square bathed in morning light, with a crowd of people awaiting the Pope’s blessing.
