There are some religious pop songs born today that can be seen to have lasting value. The music is catchy, easy to consume and able to bring young people closer to religion.
Religious popular music creates communities, and the program that supports this helps with this. Irén Novák spoke about this in the public media on Tuesday.
"Today's people are also looking for the opportunity to connect with biblical stories and preaching. Popular music can be a form of glorifying God in a slightly lighter form, in a way that is closer to young people, as we do in the classical way in prayer, classical music, and psalms," explained the Deputy Secretary of State for Art and Community Culture of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation (KIM) in the current program of the M1 channel.
The Minister of Culture and Innovation Balázs Hankó announced on Sunday that the ministry will support religious light music throughout the country and in the Carpathian Basin with HUF 350 million this year.
Irén Novák said in Tuesday's show that
In 2019, the Hungarian government launched a program to support religious light music, within the framework of which three subthemes were announced this year: 150 million forints will be used to support the purchase of new musical instruments, 50 million forints for the renovation of musical instruments, and 150 million forints for the organization of religious light music programs.
He added: in the church communities, not only those who know how to sing and play music, but also those who do it on an amateur level, purely for fun, to be together, to glorify God.
"There are many religious light music ensembles made up of young people, playing music together forms a bridge between God and man, and between man and man."
Irén Novák stated that individuals and organizations are already looking forward to this support opportunity because they can plan in a predictable way.
"Perhaps there has never been a greater need to preserve our European Christian culture, our roots, and to express our appreciation to the people and organizations that deal with it".
Radio Kossuth Good morning, Hungary! In his program, Irén Novák also talked about the fact that religious popular music has existed in Hungary since the sixties, but before the regime change, it was frowned upon by both the ecclesiastical and secular authorities.
"In recent decades, religious light music has become accepted by the church as well, it has become clear that glorifying God has a place and role in lighter genres as well."
"There are some religious pop songs born today that can be seen to have lasting value. The music is catchy, easy to consume and able to bring young people closer to religion"
he added.
Irén Novák said that more than 1,300 applications were received for this year's tender, which clearly shows how much demand there is for this support.
MTI
Front page image: The Boanergész church band plays at the presentation of certificates for the support of religious light music, after the holy mass at the Szent János parish in Felsőkrisztinaváros on December 1, 2024. Photo: Péter Lakatos / MTI
