Prime Minister and Grand Master of Sovereign Military Order of Malta consulted with respect to helping Ukrainian refugees

Since the outbreak of the war in 2022, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta has helped more than 52,000 Ukrainian refugees in Hungary. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta wishes to enhance its cooperation with the Hungarian government also on the issue of the protection of persecuted Christians and minorities, the church organisation stated in a press release after Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's visit on Monday.

According to the press release, the Hungarian Prime Minister and Grand Master of the Rome-based Sovereign Military Order of Malta Fra' John Timothy Dunlap spoke about the possibilities of peace in Ukraine and the maintenance of the ceasefire in Gaza.

The head of the order which has operated for more than 900 years worldwide received the Prime Minister in the palace complex situated on Aventine Hill.

According to the communication released at the end of the meeting, the parties highlighted the work performed by the Order in Hungary, as part of which since the outbreak of the war in 2022, they have helped more than fifty-two thousand Ukrainian refugees, providing medical care and offering integration programmes.

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta regards its relations maintained with Hungary since 1990 as excellent. The Order maintains the largest social network in Hungary; they are able to provide help for more than 13,000 persons a day in almost a hundred and fifty institutions.

The Grand Master and Mr Orbán urged the further expansion of cooperation also in third countries as part of the Hungary Helps government programme. They recalled the Declaration of Intent signed in 2024 which sought to strengthen cooperation between the Order and the Hungarian government in the interest of the protection of persecuted Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities.

The seat of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in Rome is a unique venue; the keyhole of the entrance gate offers a direct view of the cupola of Saint Peter's Basilica. The extraordinary spectacle was also shown to Mr Orbán.