Pope Francis Acknowledges Hungarian Government’s Family Policy

The Holy Father is well aware of the efforts of Budapest and the countries of Central Europe to preserve values that are being neglected on the rest of the continent, Hungary’s ambassador to the Vatican, Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen, told Italian daily La Verita. The ambassador pointed out that while the demographic crisis in Italy is getting worse every year, Hungary has made significant progress in this area thanks to the government’s family policy.

Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen referred to Pope Francis’ earlier words urging Italians to have children, because the country needs young people. The Hungarian ambassador said that Hungary had recognized the threat of the demographic crisis in time and had been helping families for more than 10 years with encouraging political measures.

The ambassador stressed that

supporting families is essential, as is the need for leaders to set an attractive example. It is therefore no coincidence that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and President Katalin Novák are often seen with their families.

“Pope Francis is well aware of the Hungarian government’s efforts to support families,” stressed Habsburg-Lothringen, who listed some of the government’s measures, such as the family housing support (CSOK) and tax measures, to the Italian daily.

The ambassador recalled that an important topic during an earlier meeting between the Pope and the Hungarian prime minister was the importance of the family based on the relationship between mothers, fathers, and their children. “We feel very encouraged by the Holy Father and the Holy See in this area,” he added.

The ambassador also said in the interview that although religious faith in European societies has weakened, there are hopeful signs in Hungary. This was shown by the success of the Eucharistic Congress in Hungary in 2021, and the fact that 300,000 people took part in the torchlight procession led by Cardinal Péter Erdő before the event.

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