Hungarian priest welcomes refugees amid differing local views

In Körmend, a Hungarian town of 12,000 people about 160 miles and two train rides from Budapest, the community has been split by the decision of Zoltán Németh, the local Catholic parish priest, to shelter asylum seekers.

The refugee issue is a heated one in Hungary, with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government taking an increasingly hostile line against those seeking asylum in the country. In April the Hungarian authorities announced the detention of all asylum seekers, and state news outlets push a steady stream of xenophobic stories.

“It came as a surprise to public opinion that we took people in,” said Németh, who lives next to his church, St. Erzsebet’s. “The main reason we took them in was because they were in life-threatening danger.”