During his visit to the Pope and Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Gyurcsány called St. John Paul’s attention to several recent cases when the Hungarian Catholic Church took unwanted political stance, which he called unwanted. Gyurcsány said he did not find appropriate that the catholic church issued a statement calling for ‘yes’ votes in the campaign period prior to the recent Hungarian referendum on dual citizenship for Hungarian minorities and banning privatization of the healthcare sector. Secondly, he protested that in a recent demonstration for more central funding to church-sponsored schools, students were also taken to the streets by their teachers.
Hungarian opposition MPs criticized Gyurcsány and called his behavior impertinent and not suitable for a guest of the Pope. In response, the Prime Minister, while stressing his catholic background, highlighted that he visited the Pope on a business trip not as a guest. Gyurcsány added that reactions to his statements were far from as emotional in Vatican City as in the Hungarian Parliament.
Sources say Pope St. John Paul only said ‘Understood’ in his response to Gyurcsány’s statements and asked him to help safeguard the achievements of the treaty Hungary signed with Vatican City in 1997, which he praised repeatedly.