Pope Leo XIV receives Péter Magyar in private audience

On Thursday morning, Pope Leo XIV received Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar for a private audience in the Vatican. The Prime Minister traveled to Rome on Wednesday evening with Minister Zoltán Tarr and State Secretaries György Velkey and István Czeti, all of whom also accompanied him to the Vatican.

According to a report by MTI, the first stop during the visit of the Prime Minister and his delegation was the Hungarian Chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica, from where they proceeded to the Apostolic Palace for a private audience with Pope Leo XIV.

Magyar arrived at the inner courtyard of the Apostolic Palace named after St. Damasus shortly after 10:30 a.m.,where the honor guard of the Swiss Guard was lined up. The head of government was received at the entrance to the Apostolic Palace by Archbishop Peter Rajič, Prefect of the Papal Household, along with members of the papal court, who accompanied Péter Magyar and his delegation all the way to the papal library. AFP released a video of the Hungarian Prime Minister's arrival and reception.

Following the private audience, the Prime Minister proceeded to the Holy See's Secretariat of State, where he held talks with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher—known as the Vatican's Minister of Foreign Affairs—and Father Fabio Salerno, who is responsible for Hungarian affairs at the Holy See. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's Secretary of State was not present, as he is attending the UN General Assembly in New York. After the talks, the Prime Minister went to the medical clinic for the needy located next to St. Peter’s Square, accompanied by Luis Marin de San Martin, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, and the clinic’s head physician. The clinic was established by Pope Francis in 2015 and has since been expanded.

The Hungarian Prime Minister’s visit to the Vatican began at the Hungarian Chapel located in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica. Péter Magyar entered the basilica through the so-called Gate of Prayer. The bronze gate is reserved for heads of state and government. The Hungarian chapel is located in the crypt of the basilica near the tombs of the Apostle Peter and the popes: Pope John Paul II consecrated it in October 1980 as a legacy of the former Hungarian pilgrim house established by St. Stephen.

The Hungarian-language Mass was celebrated by Gergő Eredics, Deputy Director of the Archdiocesan Office, who emphasized that the common trait of the Hungarian saints and blesseds is that they heard God’s word and acted upon it. Father Eredics spoke about Sára Salkaházy, who was beatified in 2006, and Mária Magdolna Bódi, who was beatified in 2025. Concelebrant Viktor Zsódi, superior of the Hungarian district of the Piarist Order, spoke of the fearless witness of the Hungarian saints as he commemorated the feast day of the martyred Bishop Saint Gellért. He emphasized that St. Gellért’s motto was “Do not be afraid!” and that this was how he lived his life—he was not afraid to bear witness.

Before the private audience, the Hungarian Prime Minister visited the tomb of Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Basilica. Péter Magyar quoted the former pope's motto of “Do not be afraid!”—saying that it has given and continues to give strength to many Hungarians during the most difficult times. In the comments section of the post, Zoltán Tanács, Minister of Science and Technology, wrote that these two simple words were what convinced him to join Tisza’s “team that brought about the change of regime.” János Nagy, Viktor Orbán’s personal secretary also left a comment under the post, writing simply, “For us too,” presumably referring to the phrase providing strength in difficult times.

The Prime Minister and his delegation traveled to the Vatican on Wednesday evening after he handed over the chairmanship of the cabinet meeting to Minister Bálint Ruff. Also traveling with the Hungarian delegation were Zoltán Tarr, Minister for Social Relations and Culture; György Velkey, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and István Czeti, Deputy State Secretary for Ecclesiastical Affairs.

“As a former Piarist student and Hungarian prime minister, it is a tremendous honor for me personally to represent our country at the Vatican before the Holy Father,”

the PM said in his video message posted on Wednesday.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Revolution, Péter Magyar gave two personal gifts to Pope Leo XIV: one was a handwritten copy of Pope Pius XII’s address to the Hungarian people, broadcast on Vatican Radio on November 10, 1956, and the other was the memoirs of Prince-Primate and Cardinal Mindszenty, along with the first American edition of those memoirs, published in New York in the 1970s. “After all, the Pope is American, too. I am preparing these personal gifts and looking forward to the visit with great anticipation,” said the Prime Minister.