The Office of the Deputy State Secretary for Persecuted Churches is seeking the assistance of churches in Hungary with its efforts, the Minister of Human Capacities said on Thursday in Budapest.
Zoltán Balog told journalists after a meeting with church leaders that the Deputy State Secretariat is seeking the assistance of churches in international action and providing assistance for Christians living in the Middle-East.
Additionally, they also rely on Hungarian churches in the implementation of a university scholarship programme made available for persecuted Christians, he added.
He pointed out that Christians are the most persecuted group in the world on account of their religious affiliation, and they are the targets of some 70 per cent of religious persecution globally.
Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest said that the Catholic Church has for a long time maintained close relations with the church leaders of regions which are most exposed to persecution, and consequently, church solidarity and assistance have been manifested in a variety of forms also to date. However, they are now able to take action in a wider unity.
Bishop István Bogárdi Szabó, Ministerial President of the Synod of the Reformed Church in Hungary said: they are happy about the establishment of the Deputy State Secretariat, as well as about the fact that the Government seeks to rely on the assistance of churches. Protestant churches maintain a number of international relations in Africa and Asia also at present, he added.
László Lehel, Chair-Director of Hungarian Interchurch Aid said that the organisation operates a permanent representation in Erbil, in North-Iraq, and coordinates its work from there. They would like to help the Christians living there to enable them to live their lives in dignity, in addition to providing sufficient protection.
(Ministry of Human Capacities)
