The pilgrimage site in Csatka, which also plays a significant role in the religious life of the Gypsies, will be renovated in three phases with a cost of HUF 2.6 billion, announced the State Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office responsible for church and ethnic relations on Tuesday in the Komárom-Esztergom county settlement.
Miklós Soltész said: the government will provide HUF 700 million this year, HUF one billion next year, and an additional HUF 900 million in 2023 for the development of the Veszprém Archdiocese's investment.
In Hungary, the churches are also taking part in the restart of the economy, whether it is the HUF 26 billion improvements of the Hungarian church renovation program or other large investments. He added that another place of worship in the nearby Vértessomló can be renovated for 1.1 billion forints.
János Székely , the member of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference responsible for Gypsy pastoral care, highlighted: Pilgrims have been coming to the Csatka shrine since 1862, currently 80-90 percent of them are Roma . He said that the gypsies also like to baptize children at the Kisboldogasszony farewell in Csatka.
György Udvardy of Veszprém emphasized: places of worship play an important role in living the faith. In addition to the reconstruction of the chapel, the investment in Csatka will include the renovation of the outdoor altar, the spring and its surroundings, the service facilities, and the road leading to the shrine. Also part of the project is the reconstruction of the settlement's ancient church.
The archbishop announced that 76 churches in the diocese will be renovated at a cost of more than one billion forints.
Source: MTI
Photo: MTI/Tamás Vasvári
