The lawmaker, Olga Kálmán, said the pardon had expunged the criminal record of the children’s home’s former deputy director and allowed him to work among children again.
“This pardon means that from now on, he has no criminal record and has not been barred from practicing his vocation. From the moment of his pardon, he can go back to working in an orphanage,” Kálmán told the AP.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, one of the sex abuse survivors, Mert Pop, wrote in a comment that Novák’s decision “deprives victims of due justice,” and that “the obscurity surrounding the pardoned offender provokes deep concern among those who have suffered, and in society at large.”
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Novák, who issued the pardon along with around two dozen others on the occasion of Pope Francis’ April 2023 visit to Hungary, has denied that she acted improperly and rejected calls for a formal explanation of her decision.
On Thursday, a Democratic Coalition lawmaker delivered a letter to Catholic Church representatives in Hungary to pass to Pope Francis, saying that Novák had “served sin” by granting the pardon on the occasion of the pontiff’s visit.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, one of the sex abuse survivors, Mert Pop, wrote in a comment that Novák’s decision “deprives victims of due justice,” and that “the obscurity surrounding the pardoned offender provokes deep concern among those who have suffered, and in society at large.”
“Confronted with the gravity of the crimes committed, the decision to pardon is unexpected and inexplicable, causing deep pain and disappointment to those affected, further complicating their lives,” Pop wrote.
As controversy rose on Thursday, Orbán said in a video on Facebook that he had proposed an amendment to Hungary’s constitution that would prevent those convicted of crimes against children from receiving presidential pardons.
Varga is expected to lead the list of European Parliament candidates from Hungary’s governing Fidesz party when elections are held this summer.
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