the country’s efforts to join the European Union in 2004, BosNewsLife learned Friday, December 20.
Parliament deputy Csaba Tabajdi of the Hungarian Socialist Party asked church leaders "to demonstrate the significance of integration for the faithful," ahead of Hungary’s April referendum on EU-enlargement, the Hungarian News Agency MTI reported.
Tabajdi made the comments at a conference on the role of churches in an enlarged European Union, amid concern that religion will play no role in a new constitution. The Socialists have made it clear they want churches to play an active role in society.
"Churches should become the soul of Europe, " MTI quoted Ruediger Noll, a representative of the Conference of European Churches in Brussels, as telling his audience.
CHRISTIAN VISION
Hungarian Lutheran Bishop Bela Harmati reportedly said that "it would be unacceptable" if the preamble to the EU Constitution under drafting contained no reference to religions. Earlier this month representatives of Christian parties from 12 European countries gathering in Hungary urged the EU to develop a Christian vision.
The Foreign Secretary of the Dutch Christian Union party, Gerard Geijtenbeek told BosNewsLife that parties in future and current member states want to help the EU to formulate a "clear Christian vision."
He said this was needed as "an increasing number of people from Islamic countries are arriving here to help the aging population" in countries such as Germany.
EUROPEAN JEWRY
However Bishop Harmati also said the any new EU constitution should also include "the role and past of the European Jewry," MTI reported.
Aware of the estimated 600,000 Hungarian Jews who were massacred during World War Two when Hungary cooperated with Nazi Germany, church leaders have tried to resume a dialogue with the Jewish community.
The efforts have been overshadowed by news that Reformed pastor Lorant Hegedus Jr. ,an official of the far right Hungarian Justice and Life Party, received an 18 months suspended prison term in December for inciting hatred against a community in an article.
ANTI-SEMITIC
Hegedus, known for his perceived anti-Semitic remarks, was condemned by the Metropolitan Court for writing phrase referring to Jews, such as "Exclude them, otherwise they will exclude you".
However Holocaust survivor and Jewish representative Erno Lazarovits told BosNewsLife he was confident that the Jewish community and churches can work together. "I was pleased to attend the EU symposium," he said.
Istvan Seregely, Archbishop of Eger for the powerful Catholic Church warned however that EU membership was no guarantee for improvement of Hungary’s post Communist society and religious life.
However he added that "although we can’t establish in advance whether the situation will improve or worsen after Hungary’s accession, (Hungary has) no choice but to join the European Union," MTI reported.
