Hungary PM Viktor Orban Gave Pope Francis A 'Provocative Gift'

Pope Francis carefully rebuked the anti-migrant politics of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on the first day of a papal visit to Central Europe. Speaking at an outdoor Mass in Budapest on Sunday, the pontiff called on Hungarians to "extend their arms to everyone," in a veiled reference to the nationalist government's closed-door policy on immigration.

[...] At the meeting on Sunday, according to state media, Orban even handed the Pope a provocative gift: A copy of a letter from a 13th-century Hungarian king to then-Pope Innocent IV, asking for Rome's help to defeat an onslaught of foreign invaders — an apparent reference to migrants in the 21st century.

Shortly thereafter, Orban took to Facebook, posting: "I asked Pope Francis not to let Christian Hungary perish."

PM Orbán met Pope Francis and presented a letter that King Béla IV wrote for Pope Innocent IV in 1250. The King warned of the looming threat of the Tatar invasion and called for the unity of Europe. He was ignored. 35 yrs later HU fended off the Tatars with great bloodshed. pic.twitter.com/PS8JPTJ4my

— Balázs Orbán (@BalazsOrban_HU) September 12, 2021