“The government is funding the education of disadvantaged African children”, State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians and the Realisation of the Hungary Helps Program Tristan Azbej, from the Prime Minister’s Office, announced in his speech closing the three-day International Conference on Christian Persecution in Budapest on Thursday.

“Within the framework of the program, which is being organised jointly with the African Conference of Catholic Bishops, thousands, and later tens of thousands, of multiply disadvantaged African children will be receiving textbooks to educate them with relation to happy and balanced family life based on Christian foundations”, Mr. Azbej explained.

“We are also funding the reconstruction of a further 30 Middle Eastern churches that were damaged or destroyed in the conflicts”, he also stated.

“On Wednesday, the Cabinet decided to provide funding towards the expansion of the Terra Sancta Museum maintained by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, which reinforces the presence of Christianity in the Holy Land and presents its history and culture”, he said.

Assessing the three-day International Conference on Christian Persecution, which was held for the second time, the State Secretary said it was an “uplifting and hope-inspiring feeling” to see people from different situations and backgrounds sit down to the same table to jointly think about how they could aid persecuted Christians.

“They can count on Hungary to be the engine, and if needed the catalyst, of joint action in future”, he said. “Hungary undertakes to continue this important flag-bearing mission, and this is being served by the Hungary Helps Program”, he declared.

“This requires courage from all of us who are allies, but I am convinced that courage is precisely what is needed in places where otherwise fear rules and keeps people in tyranny”, Mr. Azbej added.

The State Secretary invited “all government and non-governmental actors” to form an alliance to improve the lives of the over 200 million persecuted Christians living around the world.

“It is up to the participants of the conference whether they make use of the opportunity they have been given and convert the ideas that have been discussed during the past three days into action”, Mr. Azbej added.

(MTI)