Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó, said Hungary has been a Christian country for more than a thousand years and he wished to see Europe to return to its Christian roots.
“It is an honor to represent a country here which has protected Christianity many times throughout its history and is still proud to be Christian nowadays, as well, and argues in favor of Christianity and Christian culture to be given the priority in Europe,” said the Hungarian minister.
It is an honor to represent a country here which has protected Christianity many times throughout its history and is still proud to be Christian nowadays. —Péter Szijjártó, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Speaking at the US State Department’s Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom on July 18, Szijjártó told leaders from around the world that Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world, reports CNS News.
Szijjártó disclosed that four out of every five people who are persecuted because of religion are Christians and believers must recognize this crisis. He lamented that international media and political leaders do not give the right attention to the plight of many Christians around the world.
“And if you look at the declarations and resolutions of international organizations, you will hardly find any reference to tortures and challenges, which the Christian communities have to face all over the world,” he said.
The Hungarian representative added that, “In 4,136 cases Christians were killed last year, which means that there are 11 Christians being killed every day all over the world, and 1,266 Churches were either ruined or attacked during the last year.” He urged Christians to raise their voices against the discrimination and violence endured by fellow believers.
The Hungarian government has created the Hungary Helps Agency in 2017 which aims to aid persecuted Christian communities. The program has given $27 million to 35,000 Christians living in five Middle Eastern and two sub- Saharan Countries. It also donated $31,000 as emergency aid to survivors of the terror attacks in Christian churches in Sri Lanka.