A sports hall built by the Roman Catholic Church with Hungarian state support and named after former Transylvanian bishop Áron Márton was inaugurated yesterday in Gyimesközéplok. The thanksgiving mass was celebrated by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Gyulafehérvár, Gergely Kovács, and the local 18-year-olds were also greeted.
It was said at the church ceremony: the construction was initiated by the former parish priest of the settlement, György Bodó, who died three years ago, in 2016, as neither the school nor the municipality had a sports facility in the village.
Over the years, Hungarian institutions have awarded HUF 250 million in support to applications submitted by the parish. Parishioner Demeter from Málnás said: the naming recalls Áron Márton's entry into Csíksomlyo, when the Csangós of Gyimes prevented their bishop from being arrested by the communist authorities.
In his speech following the ceremony, Miklós Soltész, the State Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office responsible for church and ethnic relations, praised the loyalty of the Csángos of Gyimes to their faith, nation and culture. He said: it is an uplifting and great heritage that the people of Gyimesi protected their bishop with their bodies if necessary, and it is important to keep alive this attachment to faith and a wonderful, delicious language.
He pointed out that the Hungarian government supports the construction of community spaces and, where applicable, gymnasiums, because it also wants to build the community, which strengthens cohesion and serves to preserve it. The Csángos of Gyimes can also survive if they keep their Christianity and remain loyal to the nation and their language, said the state secretary.
Csaba Borboly, the chairman of the Hargita county council, greeted the young people who came of age this year and encouraged them to do their best. After the ceremony, the 1,360-square-meter sports hall was inaugurated with a football match, in which the team of the Hungarian Consulate General in Csíkszereda - which was joined by the archbishop, the state secretary and the president of the county municipality - played against the local youth.
Source: Demokrata.hu
