Katalin Novák, the incoming president of the republic, said in an interview on Friday that it was her personal commitment to express national unity.
In the interview on public radio hosted by Zoltán Balog, Bishop of the Hungarian Reformed Church, Novák said her job of promoting the unity of the nation would be difficult — as there were many fault lines to rise above — though not impossible. She said she was convinced that
the majority of Hungarians longed for national unity.
Novák said her duty to promote national unity was not only prescribed by Hungary’s Fundamental Law “but it is also my own personal commitment”. She said her points of reference were God, faith, family and friends.
The incoming president emphasised the importance of the family, saying that “our common history embraces the history of Hungarian families”. Novák also said she was conscious of belonging to a generation that had not be born into freedom but had lived part of their lives in freedom.
Noting that “it can often be divisive [when a public figure] talks about religion and faith,” Balog asked Novák what her faith meant to her. Novák replied that her faith in God was an integral part of her life and decisive in all areas, adding that
“we must find a way of expressing our personal faith without excluding others”.
It was possible to address people “who may not have woken up [to faith] yet,” she said.
On the subject of the war in Ukraine, Novák said Good Friday was an appropriate time “to feel the pain of those who are suffering losses”. She added that the resurrection also
“gives hope that there will be a Hungarian in Transcarpathia in a hundred years’ time.”
Finally, Novák praised Balog’s initiative to turn Good Friday into a public holiday in Hungary.
2 Comments
Easter was a pagan festival and celebrated the beginning of Spring long before Jesus was even born. It was ‘appropriated’ – hijacked some might say -by Christians, just as Christmas was (that was also a pagan festival marking the winter solstice).
Yet Anonymous, there aren’t any more pagans in Hungary. If you want to talk about sincere pagan beliefs (not people larping as pagans) that are still around, your best bet is to talk about the Sami, Mari, and some of the baltic pagans.
That said, if someone wants to pretend they are pagan then go for it, as it doesn’t hurt anyone. The point I am making is that Hungary has Christians as all pagan roots in Hungary are basically non-existent, except for traces of them.