Bertalan Havasi, the Prime Minister’s press chief, has said that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had talks with two prominent Nigerian churchmen: Matthew Hassan Kukah, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto; and Dacholom Datiri, President of the Church of Christ, a Reformed church.
The meeting was also attended by Minister of State for the Aid of Persecuted Christians Tristan Azbej. The main topics discussed were the migration crisis and the persecution of Christians.
The church leaders described it as a tragedy that lack of national cohesion, sectarian violence and poverty are causing millions to leave Nigeria and live in humiliating conditions in other parts of the world, often resorting to crime.
Mr. Orbán stressed that it is also in African countries’ interests not to lose those their citizens in the “maelstrom” of the worldwide mass population movement, and that this in turn imposes obligations on Europe and the world’s other developed regions. As an example of this he cited the Hungary Helps Programme, which has already provided assistance for the reconstruction and operation of several schools, hospitals and social institutions in conflict-stricken regions in the Middle East and in Africa.
The church leaders agreed with Mr. Orbán that help must be taken to where there are problems, rather than taking problems to other parts of the world.
Bishop Kukah and President Datiri thanked Hungary for its help. They said that this is greatly needed as – in addition to poverty – religiously-based violence is also rising in Nigeria, and the communities there which are most vulnerable to persecution are Christian.