A friend of mine, Robert Kramer (a scholar of Otto Rank), lived in Hungary from 2015 to 2025. He holds dual citizenship with Hungary and the United States and is fluent in Hungarian. He shared his thoughts about the recent Hungarian election—and its implications for America.
I am thrilled that Orbán, utterly corrupt and authoritarian, is out. He led the surge of the far-right in Europe and the US. He stole EU money that would have gone to Hungarian hospitals, schools and retirement pensions.
Although a longtime atheist, he claimed belief in Christianity and gave huge amounts of money to the Catholic Church to keep them on his side.
With government control of 80% of the media, he stoked hatred of LGBTQ people and the EU’s vision of liberal democracy. He forced Hungarian universities to kneel. He and his cronies will face prosecution for stealing billions in EU funds.
The new guy, Péter Magyar, was amazingly courageous in standing up to the non-stop defamation of his character by the Hungarian media. I’ve watched him over last two years as he spoke all over the country. His main message to Hungarians was “have no fear.”
The huge crowd at his victory speech on Sunday night (I watched on YouTube) shouted again and again “we will not fear.” We need the same message in the US. I hope Orbán’s fall is a bellwether for the decline of the far-right in Europe and the US.
We have also learned that Orbán’s son-in-law has fled to the United States with millions of dollars stolen from the Hungarian people with the help of his uncle. (America also, it seems, has a presidential son-in-law issue….)
Meanwhile in news back home, a hearing was held of Trump’s so-called “Religious Liberty Commission.” Its chair is Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who kicked things off by declaring that “the separation of church and state is the biggest lie that’s been told in America since our founding.”
So much for knowing the US Constitution. Where did these people go to high school? As Paul Raushenbush of the Interfaith Alliance put it, “What Trump, Patrick, and co. are doing has nothing to do with defending religious liberty. It’s an attempt to weaponize religion and rewrite the Constitution.”
The Interfaith Alliance is going to court. “We refuse to let them erase our country’s true history of religious tolerance and diversity.”
This comes on the same week that the president lectured the Pope about his preaching of peace over war. Pope Leo, speaking from Cameroon on an 11-day journey to Africa, responded by lamenting a “world turned upside down” by a “handful of tyrants” and “masters of war.”
And added: “Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth….The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild,” he warned.
He almost sounds like Hildegard of Bingen taking on the Emperor of her day.
Those like the vice president who believe that politics is outside the domain of religion and should be left to the politicians alone, might take a lesson from Mahatma Gandhi. He notes: “Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion means.” And “Nature and society are both subject to a single law of justice and unity.”
Values and debate about values have a place in the world of commerce and Wall Street and government. And Yes, there is a separation of church and state in our constitution. Thank God.
To read the transcript of Matthew Fox’s video meditation, click HERE.
Banner Image: Supporters of the Tisza Party celebrate Péter Magyar’s landslide victory in the Hungarian parliamentary elections, April 12, 2026. Photo by Christian Unger on Shutterstock.
Queries for Contemplation
How do you feel about the Hungarian election and non-violent overthrow of Orbán? And about Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo and the latter’s response?
Related Readings by Matthew Fox
Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality.
Trump and the MAGA Movement as Antichrist.
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul & Society.
Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox, Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation.
Charles Burack, ed., Matthew Fox: Essential Writings in Creation Spirituality.
The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance.
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth.
A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice.
4 thoughts on “Word from Hungary, Washington D.C. and the Pope in Africa”
In answer to the first question, I feel great and hopeful that there is a universal Divine Feminine Spirit of Love Wisdom Truth Peace Justice Healing Compassion Diverse Oneness… that is growing in the hearts and lives of Humanity around the world, including the US as evidenced by the recent No Kings Demonstrations/March.
As far as Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo, he is further demonstrating his fear, ignorance, and his severe malignant narcissistic personality disorder (as diagnosed by many mental health professionals). Pope Leo’s response demonstrates and represents the feelings and courage of all spiritual warriors around the world to unrighteous and cruel authoritarian leaders that God’s Spirit of Love Wisdom Truth Peace Justice Healing Transformation Freedom Strength Beauty Joy Compassion Divine-Oneness… within and among Us will always prevail in the Sacred Process of the Eternal Present Moment… of Our Cosmic Evolution of Divine Love….
The overthrow of Orban is one of the only things giving me hope that the U.S. might return to its democratic roots within the next few years. Sadly, so much will need to be rebuilt, and some of that rebuilding is likely to take decades. The one good thing might be if the U.S. actually becomes a partner in the democratic global society, rather than a rogue player, and if it listens to the people not the oligarchs. For too long, the U.S. has strong-armed the world. Still, its most sacred principles, while never fully achieved, have always been a lighthouse for the world. I struggle frequently with religious people who, like JD Vance (as if he had any), want to separate their spiritual views from politics. As Gandhi said and you quote, “Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion means.” And as Richard Rohr said in 2018, and as Allan (one of my characters in my play, “La Posada”) restates, “There is no such thing as being non-political. Everything we say or do either affirms or critiques the status quo.”
Matthew, This Meditation on the “liberation from oppression” in Hungary, fills me with tearful joy, as I listen to the sounds of the people, within the vivid context you present! This is truly a hopeful sign for those in the US (including you) who have been working at preserving democracy, during this time of deplorable leadership. I pray that the framework of the Constitution can soon begin to be implemented more fully, so that this leadership can be restrained and eventually diminished to ineffectiveness. Let us stay strong in our commitment to do whatever may be our part to achieve this goal. I am so grateful for your wisdom and experience that give us the tools of understanding and the inspiration to pursue this goal.
Re: 4/20
Matthew, This Meditation on the “liberation from oppression” in Hungary, fills me with tearful joy, as I listen to the sounds of the people, within the vivid context you present! This is truly a hopeful sign for those in the US (including you) who have been working at preserving democracy, during this time of deplorable leadership. I pray that the framework of the Constitution can soon begin to be implemented more fully, so that this leadership can be restrained and eventually diminished to ineffectiveness. Let us stay strong in our commitment to do whatever may be our part to achieve this goal. I am so grateful for your wisdom and experience that give us the tools of understanding and the inspiration to pursue this goal.