The Ministry of Human Capacities’ State Secretary for Family and Youth Affairs Katalin Novák held bilateral talks in the Vatican on Wednesday, where she presented the goals and results of the Hungarian Government’s family policy to Catholic leaders.

Amongst others, the politician met with President of the Pontifical Academy for Life Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, and Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life Cardinal Kevin Farrell, and reported on the measures that Hungary has introduced and plans to introduce in future in the interests of helping Hungarian families.

In a statement to Hungarian news agency MTI, the State Secretary said the goal of the meetings was to make high-ranking church leaders in the Vatican aware of Hungarian family policy, and of what Churches, family organisations and representatives of the private sector and science are doing in Hungary in cooperation with the government for families, and in the interests of ensuring that family values to occupy their rightful place in communities.

“Experience indicates that in the so-called ‘developed’ part of the world family values are being pushed into the background, they are rarely mentioned and not given due significance, which is resulting in the weakening of families”, Ms. Novák said. As she explained, it is difficult to find a government that openly professes to want to assist families, and which sees the future in supporting families, and which regards families as the foundations of the community. “The Hungarian Government is one such government”, she emphasised.

According to the State Secretary, Archbishop Paglia and Cardinal Farrell both praised the Hungarian Government’s efforts within this field, and said that their experience also indicates that it is not characteristic of governments today to openly take up the cause of families and make an effort to enable young people to have as many children as they would like, and for families and people with children to not find themselves at a disadvantage compared to people with no children.

Ms. Novák also mentioned that the issue of migration, with relation to which it is no secret that the opinion of the Vatican and of the Hungarian Government do not concur, was also raised during her meeting with Archbishop Paglia. The State Secretary said that despite this she felt it important for there to also be dialogue on this issue, so the parties can get to know, understand and respect each other’s position.

“Hungary respects the position of others, but as a sovereign state retains the right to freely decide on the future of the Hungarian people, and about who they want to coexist with, and in this respect the Government regards as its guideline the opinion of the Hungarian people, who have on several occasions emphatically declared that they do not support mass immigration”, the State Secretary said.

(Ministry of Human Capacities/MTI)