Biblical opera, xenophobic bishops – Viktor Orbán’s Christianity with a twist
Hungary’s leader is tightening his grip and he’s using the Christian message to justify his immigration policy
“Europe can ignore or deny or struggle against its own identity and its Christian roots. But by doing so the society commits suicide,” said László Kiss-Rigó, the bishop of Szeged, as he drove into Budapest on a recent afternoon. “And the more migrants that come, the more Christian values will be watered down.”
Christian values, or a particular interpretation of them, have become the centrepiece of Hungarian government messaging under its far-right leader, Viktor Orbán, and Kiss-Rigó operates at the nexus of the prime minister’s interests.