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Ahead of another anticipated meeting between Pope Francis and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — who have met annually since 2021 — Magyar Nemzet interviewed Dóra Erdélyi, a senior analyst at the Oeconomus Economic Research Foundation, about the frequent meetings between the pope and the Hungarian leader.
In your opinion, what role does this meeting and the role of the Pope play in peacemaking?
As the leader of the Catholic Church, the current pope provides moral guidance not only to the church and its believers around the world but also has an impact on wider social and economic life.
Taking care of the poor, protecting the Earth and peace have always been at the center of Pope Francis’ thoughts on economic and social life. Regarding the latter, Pope Francis repeatedly called for peace after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and the Holy Father is also known for mobilizing his influence for the sake of peace. An agreement has emerged between the Vatican and Hungary on several issues, one of which is the importance of creating peace.
To what extent are the church’s social teachings valid today?
The role of spirituality in the economy and business has been a concern of humanity for a long time. The great world religions have always served as a guide for their followers in the past and still do so today, not only in a social but also economic aspect: What is moral, what is permissible in business life, and what is not? An individual’s spirituality, moral judgment, and faith – whatever you call it – play an important role when making economic and business decisions.
The five main points of the economic and social teaching of the Catholic Church can be interpreted, are valid, and can be transferred to our everyday life even in today’s modern age.
According to the social teaching of the Catholic Church, society, economy, and politics are only worth building if they are based on the dignity of the person, thus the basis of economic and social processes is the person (and not money or profit), and the goal is the happiness of the person.
An important pillar in the economic teaching of the church is solidarity, that is, compassion, turning towards others, especially for the benefit of those on the margins or those in need. This means today that one must be open to others and take the focus off of yourself.
The management of a company should also look at the interests of the lower levels and help them, not oppress them; for example, provide the right salary or provide the right working conditions. This will still make it a profit-making company, but the main goal will not be profit maximization, but people.
In the interest of the public good, the public authority must respect the basic and inalienable rights of the human person (e.g., “right… to act according to one’s own right conscience, to protect one’s private life and to legitimate freedom, which includes freedom of religion” – Second Vatican Council: Gaudium et spes, 26.). On the other hand, the common good includes the social welfare and development of the community, by which it must make accessible to everyone what is needed for human life: food, clothing, health, work, education, culture, adequate information, the right to found a family, etc.
The fifth pillar is about justice, the pursuit of justice, including respect for everyone’s rights and fairness. Within this framework, efforts must be made to ensure that everyone receives what they are entitled to (e.g., fair wages). However, hierarchy prevails in society in this case (also) according to which the person who does more for society gets more.
Why are their meetings so frequent?
Every year since 2021, Viktor Orbán has met with the head of the Catholic Church. In September 2021, Pope Francis met with (then) President János Áder and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as part of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress.
The second meeting was in April 2022, when Viktor Orbán visited the Vatican to speak privately with the Holy Father. This was Orbán’s first official trip abroad after the 2022 elections. Then in April 2023, Pope Francis visited Hungary and also met the PM then.
Now, according to plans, the Holy Father will meet Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the Vatican on Dec. 4, 2024, at 8:00 a.m.
Peace, the protection and support of families, and environmental protection have been the main topics of the meetings between the head of the Catholic Church and Viktor Orbán in recent years. Pope Francis has made many positive statements about Hungary. For example, in his statement on the flight home from the Eucharistic Congress in Budapest in 2021, he emphasized that Hungarians have many values: a deep sense of ecumenism (openness to other religions, their acceptance and respect), a strong ecological awareness, and a prominent government aspect of support for having children and the importance of the family.
How often does the Holy Father meet with other leaders?
Few leaders in the world can say that they regularly meet with the head of the Catholic Church. For example, U.S. presidents typically only meet the Pope one to three times. Exceptions are R. Reagan — four times in five years, — B. Clinton — four times in six years, — and G.W. Bush — six times in seven years with two popes. Joe Biden, however, only met with Pope Francis twice.