Leaders of religious communities protest against the mockery of their symbols. Member churches of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Hungary (MEÖT), the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (MKPK), the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities (MAZSIHSIZ), the Unified Hungarian Jewish Congregation (EMIH) and the Organization of Muslims in Hungary (ME) issued a joint statement of disapproval.
Statement of protest
As leaders of religious communities, we protest against profaning and deriding of religious symbols, sacraments and holy places.
Ecumenical Council of Churches of Hungary
Bishop József Steinbach, President
Dr. Vilmos Fischl, General Secretary
Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference
Bishop Dr. András Veres, President
Federation of Hungarian Jewish Community
András Heisler, President
Unified Hungarian Jewish Congregation
László Győrfi, Chairman of the Board
Organization of Muslims in Hungary
Szabolcs Zoltán Sulok, President
“Everyone in Hungary is free to practice their religion; this is one of the basic conditions of our existence. This includes our symbols, our sacraments and our holy places, which cannot be profaned, condemned, derided or ridiculed,” explained Vilmos Fischl, General Secretary of the Ecumenical Council of the Churches of Hungary.
It is important, he added, that beside the member churches of the Ecumenical Council, also the President of the Bishops’ Conference and Hungarian leaders of other world religions signed the declaration. The joint message is a reminder of the true meaning of religious freedom. “We wanted to be clear and unambiguous in what we were to say - and less is sometimes more. This message includes everything we wanted our readers to take to heart,” emphasized Rev. Dr Fischl.