The Magyar Kurír published the statement of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference (MKPK) yesterday, which you can read below.
The Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference (MKPK) September 7–9, 2022. held its regular autumn session between As usual, the body of bishops held an outdoor meeting this fall, which this time was hosted by the St. Adalbert Center in Esztergom.
Apostolic Nuncio Michael Wallace Banach could not attend the meeting due to his official engagement in Rome. He was replaced by first subordinate José Nahum Jairo Salas Castañeda.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 7, the members of the conference met with Minister János Lázár . The Minister of Construction and Investment informed the members of the conference that the government considers the Hungarian Catholic Church to be a strategic partner even in the difficult economic environment.
The parties agreed that the ongoing investments will be completed, and both parties consider the construction of the new campus of Pázmány Péter Catholic University to be a priority project.
The body of bishops noted that the school year has started in order in all Catholic educational institutions. More than 140,000 students began their studies at 752 locations of the 341 Catholic educational institutions. They also reviewed the steps taken in recent years to strengthen child protection. The Catholic Pedagogical Institute under the control of the MKPK has launched several domestic and international prevention-focused programs in recent years, which will continue in the future.
The conference decided to integrate the Catholic Alcoholics Rescue Service into the institutional system of Catholic Charities. The aim of the reorganization is to make the operation of the service more efficient, so that it can reach even more people and help even more people in trouble.
András Veres, the president of the MKPK, presented the members of the conference with the latest edition of the Római Misekönyv in Hungarian. The first copies have already arrived at the dioceses. The release was significantly slowed down by the general lack of paper, and the approval procedure also took longer than planned. The new missal already aims at all Hungarians, so the holidays of the Hungarian-speaking dioceses across the border are also included in the new edition.
The body of bishops decided to join the initiative of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE) and invite the dear faithful to a joint prayer for peace on September 14 as part of the European Day of Prayer.
Preparations for the 2025 holy year have begun. In connection with the event, official contact was made with the Vatican authorities. The motto of the event will be: "Pilgrims of hope". The Holy Year is a more than 700-year-old tradition in the Catholic Church, the first Holy Year was held in 1300. A regular holy year is held as a human slaughter, i.e. every 25 years. The last one was at the turn of the millennium, in 2000. However, there are also extraordinary holy years. The last example of this was in 2014, when the Church celebrated the Extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy.
The MKPK awarded the Pro Ecclesia Hungariae award to Mihály of Habsburg-Lorraine on the occasion of his 80th birthday. Mihály Habsburg-Lorraine was born on May 5, 1942 in Budapest. Godfather XII. Pope Pius. After decades in exile, he returned home to Hungary in 1995. As president of the Mindszenty Foundation, he contributed to seven Hungarian beatification procedures. He was an active participant in the launch of Mária Rádió and the Szent Benedek School Center, among others.
The MKPK supports the initiation of the beatification process of Mária Terézia Coreth and martyr György Csepellényi.
Coreth Mária Terézia was the wife of László Batthyány-Strattmann, who bore her husband fourteen children. During the First World War, she helped her children in the hospital and established a kindergarten for children who were left alone or orphaned.
The monk György Pálos Csepellényi died a martyr's death in 1674. His body was left at the scene of the execution, but according to contemporary accounts, no signs of decay could be discovered. Finally, he was buried by order of the Pasha of Eger.
The MKPK encourages Catholics to confess their faith during the census due in the fall.
The census is a very important event not only in the life of Hungary, but also in the life of the Hungarian Catholic Church, which is why the MKPK is launching a campaign related to the census, the aim of which is to encourage all Hungarian Catholics to confidently declare their religious affiliation and to fill out the religious affiliation form of the census in full awareness of their responsibility. your question.
MKPK invites and welcomes the Catholic faithful to the prominent Catholic social events to be held in the fall. The Forráspont will take place on September 17 in Budapest, in the BOK hall, and the organizers are mainly expecting young people to attend. This year, Szeged is hosting the Catholic Social Days - KATTÁRS. September 22–25. event provides an opportunity for everyone to ask questions and receive answers to important questions.
The bishops were delighted that Ms. Anita Herczegh accepted their invitation and became the Goodwill Ambassador of Catholic Caritasz. Catholic Charities continues to help refugees from the war in Ukraine. During the beginning of the school year, 10,000 children fleeing the war were facilitated to start school in Hungary. The organization is still actively present in Transcarpathia, where it also helps with the care of Hungarian and Ukrainian refugees.
Budapest, September 12, 2022.
Dr. Tamás Tóth,
secretary of the MKPK
Source: Magyar Kurír/Katolikus.hu
Photo: János Tóth/Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest
