Official Visit by His Beatitude Patriarch John X…

Official Visit by His Beatitude Patriarch John X to Hungary
Budapest, October 30, 2019

His Beatitude John X arrived to Hungary in the beginning of this week for an official visit. A number of official and Church meetings are scheduled in order to emphasize the real situation of Christians in the Middle East, which is an issue of interest to the Hungarian State.

 

The visit began with an open meeting for the Patriarchs of Antioch in the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters on October 29. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó delivered the opening speech, stressing the actual persecution of Christians in the World and the efforts of Hungary to support these Christians.

 

His Beatitude John X highlighted the significance of the Christian presence in the Middle East, and the message conveyed by their role as they are backing up coexistence among religions. He also mentioned the case of the kidnapped Bishops Paul Yaziji and Youhanna Ibrahim. His Beatitude commended the material and moral efforts by the Hungarian government to support Christian presence in the Middle East.

 

In the evening, His Beatitude met Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a meeting where all the Antiochian Patriarchs were invited.