Pope Francis visited with Ukrainian refugees fleeing the fighting on Hungary’s eastern border on Saturday, assuring them that a new future is possible.
On the second day of his tour, Pope Francis spoke with some 600 migrants, destitute, and homeless persons at St. Elizabeth’s church in Budapest, where he warned of the risks of increasing nationalism in Europe.
Francis was serenaded by a singing band of Hungarian Roma dressed in flower-patterned clothes who crowded about him as he sat in his wheelchair.
But what Pope Francis had heard earlier was far more serious.
Oleg Yakovlev described how he and his wife Lyudmila, as well as their five children, were forced to flee Dnipro a year ago due to Russian bombs.
“We were welcomed here, and we have found a new home, but many have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of the war,” Yakovlev told Pope Francis.
The youngest of the Yakovlev children, a kid aged around four, seemed delighted by the attention he was receiving, making expressions at reporters while his father talked about missiles, crumbling houses, and a 1,500-kilometer journey to safety.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, millions of refugees have fled to other countries through Central Europe, including Hungary. In Hungary, over 35,000 people have sought for temporary protection status.
Pope Francis said that showing compassion for people in need, even if they are not Christians, is an essential aspect of being a Christian.
“Even in the midst of pain and suffering, once we have received the balm of love, we find the courage to keep moving forward: we find the strength to believe that all is not lost, and that a better tomorrow awaits us.”
“Another future is possible,” he said.
Later, the pontiff met with Metropolitan (bishop) Hilarion, the Russian Orthodox Church’s (ROC) representative in Budapest.
Last year, Hilarion was effectively removed from the number two position at the ROC headquarters in Moscow, a decision seen as indicating discord at the Russian Patriarchate’s top over the war.
The Russian Orthodox Church is by far the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches, which separated from Western Christianity in the Great Schism of 1054.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine split the Orthodox world and strained ties between the Vatican and the ROC.
Kirill, the ROC Patriarch, is a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kirill heartily supports the conflict as a bulwark against a decadent West.
Last year, the European Union attempted to include Kirill on its sanctions list, but member states were unable to reach agreement due to Hungary’s opposition.
Since Pope Francis remarked last year that Kirill should not be “Putin’s altar boy,” relations between the Vatican and the ROC have been strained.
