In what surely was an uncomfortable moment, Pope Francis met with far-right Hungarian president Viktor Orban at the start of his four-day apostolic visit to Hungary and Slovakia on Sunday morning. Orban, arguably the closest European leader to Donald Trump, has been a strong opponent of almost everything Francis stands for, from accepting migrants to combating climate change. The two met privately for around 40 minutes but a spokesman for Orban said migration “didn’t come up” during the brief chat. “I asked Pope Francis not to let Christian Hungary perish,” Orban wrote on his official Facebook page. The Vatican press office issued its own take on the meeting, which they say was held in a “cordial” atmosphere. “Among the various topics discussed were the role of the church in the country, the commitment to the protection of the environment, the protection and promotion of the family,” the Vatican statement said. Francis will close an international conference on Sunday and move on to Slovakia later on Sunday for his four-day pilgrimage.
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