We can only build Hungary on the Christian culture that has preserved the country for a thousand years.
The church is a bulwark of community and culture, of survival as a nation, which is even more necessary because Europe is struggling with an identity crisis, said the Minister of Agriculture on Sunday in Kimle, Győr-Moson-Sopron County, where the renovated St. Michael's Church in Horvátkimle and the parish building in Magyarkimle were handed over.
István Nagy, who is also the region's Fidesz parliamentary representative, spoke in his speech after the festive mass about the fact that Christian churches in Western Europe are being closed or converted into shopping centers and mosques.
He put it this way: "The extent of the destruction is unfathomable, both in the spiritual and physical sense."
The minister called it gratifying that churches in the Hungarian-inhabited areas of the Carpathian basin are being renovated with government subsidies, adding that the church always carries the message of the future.
He said that we can only build Hungary on the Christian culture that has preserved the country for a thousand years. "Only this culture makes it possible for not only us, but also our children and grandchildren to live in a free, sovereign country here in Europe," he added.
István Nagy also spoke about the fact that Kimlé is divided in two by the Mosoni-Danube, yet the daily lives of the people living there are not defined by separation, but by unity. "The centuries-long peaceful cooperation of Hungarians, Croatians and Germans makes the village truly prosperous," he emphasized.
He explained: 15 million forints were won in the Hungarian Village program for the external renovation of the St. Michael's Church in Horvátkimle, while the restoration of the St. Michael's main altar and the St. Joseph's side altar could be realized with a donation of 9 million forints.
The Magyarkimle parish was also renovated with the support of the Magyar Falu program in the last two years, with HUF 23 million. In addition to church events, the building also hosts the rehearsals of the German Municipal Choir.
The Minister of Agriculture reminded us that four roadside crosses were recently renovated in Kimlé. The Croatian nationality self-government received HUF 1.2 million, and the German nationality self-government received HUF 1.6 million in state support.
From the sums, the cross next to the church and the Mersich tomb monument in the Horvátkimle part of the settlement, the cross next to the church and the Franauer cross in Magyarkimle were beautified, he said, adding that the renovation of the Holy Trinity statue by the linden tree and the crosses in the cemeteries were also thanks to the ethnic municipalities. .
All of this is another proof of the sustaining and constructive power of Christian culture - stressed István Nagy.
Miklós Soltész, the Prime Minister's State Secretary responsible for church and ethnic relations, said that as part of the Hungarian Village program, more than 1,286 parishes and parsonages, as well as more than 750 church-maintained cemeteries, were renewed over the past year.
The resurrection shows the foundations on which Christianity rests and proves that there is no other value in the world that can hold its place like this, not only in the past and present, but also in the future.
The state secretary called it important to make the churches alive.
According to his point of view, any effort that "defames the church, wants to interfere in its life" should be rejected. Statements that recall the era of the communist dictatorship, when priests, monks and believers were expelled from many churches, must be rejected, he declared.
He added: "It is necessary to recognize the effect and limits of being a good person, when to raise our voice firmly and firmly, and when to protect our churches with actions."
County Bishop András Veres, president of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference, spoke in his homily, among other things, about the fact that the Christian holds the church in extremely high esteem, because it is not only a place for common prayers, but also a place for the celebration of the Eucharist and the administration of the sacraments.
MTI
Cover image: Győr county bishop András Veres, president of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference (MKPK), celebrates Mass in the renovated St. Michael's Church in Hrvátkimle on the day of its dedication, March 3, 2024.
For the external renovation of the church, they received 15 million forints as part of the Hungarian Village program, while the restoration of the main altar of St. Michael and the side altar of St. Joseph was possible with a donation of 9 million forints. The Magyarkimle parish building was also handed over on this day. Source: MTI/Csaba Krizsán
