Pope Francis met with Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion of Hungary on Saturday and told the refugees that a different future is possible.
Reuters writes about it.
Francis met with around 600 refugees, as well as poor and homeless people, at St. Elizabeth's Church in Budapest on the second day of his visit, which began on Friday as he issued a stark warning about the dangers of rising nationalism in Europe.
One of the Ukrainians, Oleh Yakovlev, told how a year ago he, his wife Lyudmila and their five children had to leave Dnipro after the Russian bombings.
"We were accepted here and we found a new home, but many suffered and are still suffering because of the war," Yakovlev told the Pope.
About 35,000 people applied for temporary protection status in Hungary.
Francis said that showing compassion to those who suffer from poverty and tragedy is an integral part of Christianity, even if those in need are non-believers.
"Even in the midst of pain and suffering, having received the balm of love, we find the courage we need to move forward: we find the strength to believe that not all is lost and that another future is possible," he said.
On the eve of his visit to Hungary, Francis met with the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmygal in the Vatican.
Earlier, Francis said that during his visit to Hungary, he would call for peace in Ukraine.
In 2023, 80 such tanks will be gradually delivered to Ukraine.
