A memorial place to commemorate the martyrdom of Reverend Lajos Varga was inaugurated and consecrated in the garden of the Saint George Roman Catholic church in Mol, Vojvodina, Serbia on November 11. State Secretary György Hölvényi represented the Hungarian Government at the ceremony. The State Secretary in charge of Church and Ethnic Minority Affairs evoked, among others, the memory of the Hungarian victims of the massacres that occurred in Vojvodina during the Second World War. Lajos Varga, the parish priest in Mol at the time, was executed without sentence. The commemorative event stood under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén.

„We must not forget those who fell victim to the insane massacres in Vojvodina in 1944. It is important that events, which were left unspoken, be discussed openly so that our sorrow – which is still inside us – can be embodied in the physical reality of memorial places. Let me thank all those who have provided assistance to the establishment of memorial places like this one here and who have kept the memory of the victims alive,” – György Hölvényi stated. He stressed that forgiveness derived from historical memory, reconciliation, and admitting one’s guilt and are all important because there cannot be a new beginning, a new future without them. 

The erection of the monument was supported by the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The artifact was unveiled by Lajos Forró, representing the Vojvodina Research Center, and sculptor Márton Simon. The memorial place was consecrated by parish priest József Nagy from Zenta (in Serbian Senta) and parish priest Dániel Mester from Mohol.

(Prime Minister’s Office)