Minister of State László Szászfalvi visited Subotica and Novi Sad on 6-8 April, where he met leaders from advocacy groups of Vojvodina Hungarians, and leaders from the Government of the Province of Vojvodina.
He had talks with István Pásztor, Chairman of the Vojvodina Alliance of Hungarians (VMSZ) and Tamás Korhecz, Chairman of the Hungarian National Council. He agreed with his hosts that the church has an outstanding role to play in the preservation of Hungarian identity, and he welcomed the exemplary cooperation between the Vojvodina Hungarian Advocacy Group and the historical churches.
László Szászfalvi, Minister of State for Church, Civil Society and Nationality Affairs, visited Serbia on 6-8 April and met high-ranking government and church leaders.
The Minister of State had talks in Belgrade with Vladimir Todorovic, Head of the Serbian Government Directorate for Property Restitution, about his experience of church property restitution. Mr. Szászfalvi urged for the acceleration of compensating Catholic, Protestant and Evangelical churches and returning church registers.
During his meeting with Miodrag Jaksič, Minister of State in the Ministry for Diaspora, Mr. Szászfalvi suggested that ethnic Hungarian church ministers could qualify for social security provision in Serbia. He informed his counterpart that the preservation of assets, the normative financing of the institutions of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Buda and the social care of church ministers have been arranged for by the Government of Hungary. He was pleased to say that this year a group of properties in the centre of Szentendre will be transferred to the Serb community to form an art museum.
In consultation with Goran Petrovic, Minister of State for Tourism, László Szászfalvi underlined that religious tourism may be a major area of regional cooperation, providing an excellent opportunity for peoples of the region to present their cultural heritage within the context of joint projects.
Mr. Szászfalvi asked Tünde Kovács-Cerovic, Minister of State for Education, to arrange for the public funding of religious schools in Vojvodina – a move which, in his opinion, would not require major budget expenditure.
In the course of his visit to Bojan Pajtics, Head of the Provincial Government of Vojvodina, they agreed that multi-ethnic communities add colour to the culture of the settlements, and give the region a particular sense of vibrancy. In their view, joint efforts are needed in order to preserve the South-Baranya Serbian Orthodox Church and Vojvodina Hungarian church heritage. László Szászfalvi invited his partner to the interfaith dialogue conference being organised during Hungary’s European Union presidency.
Mr. Szászfalvi and Andor Deli, Provincial Secretary for Regulations, Administration and National Minorities in the Vojvodina Provincial Government agreed that national and religious diversity could provide a serious competitive advantage, together making Vojvodina a community of values.
During his visit to His Holiness Irinej, the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, László Szászfalvi expressed respect for the contribution of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese to the history and culture of Hungary, and also informed His Holiness that the Serbian Orthodox Church would regain its status as a historical church after the adoption of the new Act on churches. The Minister of State referred to the visit of Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, expressing thanks for the support of His Holiness for the return of church registers to Hungary; he also invited Patriarch Irinej to Hungary for St. Stephen’s Day celebrations, commemorating the founder of the Hungarian state.
Mr. Szászfalvi had talks with Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Orlando Antonini, and the Archbishop of Belgrade, Stanislav Hocevar – the latter praised the Hungarian government’s commitment to protecting general human values, treating the family and the defence of life as matters of priority. All parties were confident that these values and tendencies will become pre-eminent across the whole of Europe. The Minister of State asked for the assistance of the Nuncio and the Archbishop in urgently promoting the Hungarian Catholic community’s claims regarding culture, education and the restitution of property in Serbia.
(kormany.hu)
