Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said Hungary and Vatican State share the same views on peace in Ukraine, the protection of families and the support of Christians. Minister Szijjártó met Bishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the head of Vatican diplomacy, in Vatican City on Wednesday.
The minister said Hungary and the Vatican agreed that the war in Ukraine must end as soon as possible. “We shall concentrate on brokering peace and offering our help as mediators or as hosts of peace talks; the world can always count on us,” he said. Minister Szijjártó and Gallagher also discussed support for persecuted Christian communities, which Szijjártó said counted some 360 million people worldwide. Hungary continues to support persecuted Christian communities, and has co-funded the reconstruction of churches in Mexico and Lebanon, he said. Hungary has spent in the past years some 100 million dollars on supporting Christian communities worldwide, he added. “We helped some 1 million Christians in 60 countries,” he said. Minister Szijjártó also had talks with Bishop Claudio Gugerotti, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, which focused on the difficulties of Eastern Catholic churches. He also visited the tomb of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who died on December 31.