Pope Francis is set to begin a three-day visit to Hungary where he will meet ultra-nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The trip comes against the backdrop of the Ukraine war and continuing issues around migration, with Orban taking a controversial stance on both.
The 86-year-old Pope is expected in Budapest at 10 a.m. local time. He will remain in the Hungarian capital for the entirety of his stay due to his fragile health, having been hospitalised last month.
Despite common visions – especially on the family – the two men differ sharply on several subjects.
Orban is committed to promoting “Christian civilisation”, using this to justify a staunch anti-migrant policy that has been repeatedly condemned.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Catholic Church has positioned himself as a defender of refugee rights, urging EU member states to offer a warm welcome and distribute them fairly across the bloc.
Aware of this delicate diplomatic game, Francis took care to present himself as a “friend and brother of all”, while the authorities insisted on the spiritual nature of his visit.
They added the trip was not a “political event”.
In September, the Pope made a seven-hour stop in Budapest, during which he promised to return to the central European country of 9.7 million people.
Around 40% of Hungarians are Catholics according to the latest figures dating back to 2011.
In the morning, the Argentinian Pope will be received at the presidential palace by President Katalin Novak – who told the media she learned Spanish to be able to converse with him.
Then he will meet Orban, who’s been in power since 2010.
At midday, the Pope will deliver a much-awaited first speech to the authorities and the diplomats.
He may renew his calls for peace in neighbouring Ukraine, a conflict which could become the major theme of his visit.
If the pontiff condemns the “aggression” against Ukraine, it could create a rift with Orban, who is anxious to maintain ties with Moscow.
Hungary’s leader has refrained from criticising Russian President Vladimir Putin and refuses to send weapons to Kyiv, though it did not torpedo EU sanctions, as some feared.
According to Zoltan Kiszelly, director of the pro-government think tank Szazadveg, the Hungarian Prime Minister will emphasise “common visions”, while the visit could reap benefits “on the internal level”.
On Friday afternoon, the Pope will meet local clergy at St. Stephen’s Basilica, in front of which giant screens and chairs have been set up.
Heavy security has been deployed in the city of 1.7 million people, which crosses the Danube.
“It’s wonderful that the Pope is coming back to Hungary so soon after his last trip,” Annamaria Szentesi, a 32-year-old Hungarian, told AFP.
“I hope his main message will be that of peace in the world, his words have a lot of force”.
For his 41st international trip since his election in 2013, the Bishop of Rome will also meet poor and young people, besides academic and cultural representatives, and preside over an open-air mass on Sunday.
Despite his advanced age and knee pain forcing him to move around with a cane or in a wheelchair, Francis continues to travel.
Coming out of hospital in April, he told reporters “I am still alive”.
He is the second pope to visit Hungary, after visits by John Paul II in 1991 and 1996.
