San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Pope’s trip to Hungary tests health, diplomacy
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis is making his first foreign trip since undergoing intestinal surgery in July, a four-day visit to Central Europe that will not only test his health but also provide one of the most awkward moments of his papacy — a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the sort of populist, rightwing leader Francis typically scorns.
Francis is only spending seven hours in Budapest on Sunday before moving on to a three-day, hop-scotch tour of neighboring Slovakia. The lopsided itinerary suggests that Francis wanted to avoid giving Orban the bragging rights, political boost and photo opportunities that come with hosting a pope for a proper state visit.
Trip organizers have insisted Francis isn’t snubbing Hungary, noting that the Hungarian church and state only invited him to close out an international conference on the Eucharist on Sunday. “If I am only invited to dinner, I cannot spend the night,” said the Rev. Kornel Fabry, secretary general of the Eucharist conference.
Vatican officials have said Francis will meet with the prime minister along with the Hungarian president in a scheduled meeting.
Botond Feledy, policy expert for the Institute of Social Reflection, a Hungarian Jesuit organization, said Francis and Orban disagree on some fundamental issues — migration topping the list — but that the aim is not to escalate differences or conflicts.
“It is quite clear that the 30 minutes that Pope Francis has in his program to meet with the head of state, the head of government and the bishop is a very, very short time,” Feledy said. “This shows that he is not really coming for a political visit, but to give a Mass at the congress after having a protocol greeting with the Hungarian politicians.”
Francis has long expressed solidarity with migrants and refugees and criticized what he called “national populism” advanced by governments like Hungary’s.
Orban is known for his hardline stance against immigration and frequently depicts his government as a defender of “Christian civilization” in Europe and a bulwark against migration from Muslim-majority countries. In 2015, he rejected proposals to settle refugees from the Middle East and Africa in Hungary and erected a fence along Hungary’s southern border to keep out EU asylumseekers.
Asked in 2016 about Donald Trump’s border wall with Mexico, Francis famously quipped that anyone who builds a border wall is “not Christian.”
The visit is being closely watched given it marks Francis’ first big and prolonged public outing since he underwent scheduled surgery in July for what the Vatican said was a severe narrowing of his large intestine.
Francis, 84, had 13 inches of his colon removed and spent 10 days in the hospital recovering. He has recently resumed holding public and private audiences and says he is now living a “totally normal life.” But he is still on medication and cannot stand for long periods of time.
After his last trip — to Iraq in March before the surgery — Francis admitted he might have to slow down, given his age and fatigue.
But Francis is due to deliver 12 speeches over four days, kicking off with a 6 a.m. flight to Budapest on Sunday and ending the day in the Slovakian capital, Bratislava, after nine separate events.
“Maybe in this first trip I should be more careful, because one has to recover completely,” Francis said. “But in the end it will be the same as the others, you will see.”
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said no extra health care measures were being taken for the trip, “just the usual caution.” Francis’ personal doctor and nurses will be traveling with him.