An unabashedly honest conversation with brother Csaba about children, educators and fatal mistakes.
There is no excuse for child abuse - the Hungarian public agrees on this. Especially after the revelations of several horrific acts in children's homes in recent years. However, opinions are already divided on who can be held responsible if the worst happens, and how to shape the operation of a large organization in such a way that anything similar can be avoided in the future.
Maszol catches up with monk Csaba Böjte in Cluj, and in the conversation the foundation's history, children and goals are also discussed.
Csaba Böjte is 65 years old and has been running the Szent Ferenc Foundation in Déva for 30 years. He once wanted 10 children of his own, but his fate turned out differently in comparison, since the poet, later hippie, then miner Csaba Böjte became a Franciscan monk, and with that he built a unique organization throughout Transylvania.
Literally out of nowhere. It all started with a simple camp, when one of the girls suggested that they could organize a year-long camp. They tried it and have been organizing it ever since, now within the framework of a foundation, to make life easier for needy children.
His foundation is considered the largest children's home in Europe, as 6,000 children have been raised throughout Transylvania in the past three decades. Not always within the legal framework, because somehow they were always a little out of place, which is why he considers their work to be special, but definitely useful, because after the 6,000 children, he also had 1,000 grandchildren, and so far, all but two of them are being raised in a loving family.
Although they tried to set the children on their way with a sufficient value system, there was an educator who clipped the wings of those entrusted to his care. He traumatized them mentally and physically, sexually abused them, abused their vulnerability.
According to brother Csaba, he himself reported to the police as soon as he became aware of the horror. He knows that they will have to pay much more attention to the children and the educators from now on, but he still feels that
"they're over it".
The video reveals how he feels about the pedophile scandals and the path that led to the creation of the foundation, as well as who Csaba Böjte really is.
Featured image: István Biró | Source: MTI/MTVA
