Perspectief 2014-26

2014-26 Catholicity under Pressure: 9 Reag eer church leaders when it comes to ecumenism. This scepticism is due to the ballasts of the communist era, when both ecumenical and peace movements were intrumentalised by the governments, and used for their own propaganda purposes. After the fall of communism in Hungary, some church leaders and theologians started to give a new profile to the ecumenical dialogue. The Reformed Bishop Károly Tóth, who has just passed away recently and was once member of the Central Committee and the Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches made significant steps in this respect. Still, there is much to be done in deconstructing the walls of mistrust and suspicion, both planted deep into the hearts of people by the secret police and the communist regime. Another way of getting to know more about Hungary and the churches in this country was the Sunday-excursion, which lasted an entire day. The participants attended Sunday services in different churches in Veszprém. Here the local archbishop Gyula Márfi, who then celebrated the Holy Mass in Latin taking into account the different linguistic backgrounds of the participants, first welcomed group in the Archibshop’s palace. Later the group left Veszprém and went on to Balatonalmádi, where the Reformed bishop of West Hungary, József Steinbach, current president of the Hungarian Ecumenical Council of Churches offered lunch for the participants of the journey. The lunch was followed by a one-hour cruise on Balaton, the largest lake of Central Europe. A real highlight of the excursion was the visit in the thousand-year old Benedictine Archabbey of Pannonhalma. Here Archabbot of the Monastery, Bishop Asztrik Várszegi offered a cordial welcome already at the gates of the Archabbey, and invited the participants to attend Vespers sung exceptionally in Latin. After the prayer, Archabbot Várszegi presented the life and mission of the Benedictines from Pannonhalma, emphasising their special commitment to the ecumenical dialogue, and the encounter with other faiths and religions. Pannonhalma was and is “a city built upon a hill”, a reference point to Hungarian church history and a sign of hope for the future in this country. After a tour in the Abbey, the participants shared a fine supper and enjoyed an exquisite wine degustation in the restaurant of the Monastery.