Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Pope Francis was "a man of peace, mild and imperturbably brave, which was especially important for us Hungarians".

"In war times, the greatest legacy the belligerents, and European, Western or even the whole human civilisation could receive is peace itself," PM Orbán said in his regular weekly interview with public radio on Friday.

In the past three years, standing for peace had meant "being attacked daily, being stigmatised and persecuted", he said, adding that "the Holy Father was kept under continuous fire by the pro-war propaganda network, trying to make him give up his pro-peace position, but he would not."

"For us Hungarians, this was especially important because ... until the victory of [US President] Donald Trump, there had been just two of us consistently promoting peace: Hungary and the Vatican. Once you are alone -- and we have always been alone in the European Council -- any friendship or support becomes more important," PM Orbán said, adding that the pope had "constantly called on Hungary to bravely stand for peace, and his support gave supernatural significance to truth, to peace, the cause we Hungarians promoted."