The Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union began on 1 July. On this occasion, a “Mass for Europe” was held in Brussels.
On Monday, Hungary’s prime minister and the leader of its ruling Fidesz party, Viktor Orban, took over the presidency of the EU Council in Brussels. The Belgian presidency thus ended. The Hungarian presidency will last until the end of the year. On 1 January 2025, Poland will take over the presidency of the EU Council from Hungary.
Miss for Europe
On the occasion of Hungary’s takeover of the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), Holy Mass was celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels.
In the “Mass for Europe” with the participation of the auxiliary bishop of Budapest Gabor Mohos, the archbishop of Brussels Luc Terlinden and the apostolic nuncio of the EU, archbishop Noel Treanor. The president of Hungary, Tamás Sulyok, also took part.
In his sermon, Bishop Mohos called for the preservation of Europe’s Christian heritage and for praying for peace on the continent – the Hungarian portal “Magyar Kurir” reported.
Dialogue, mutual listening and respect for the dignity and views of others must also point the way for Europe, added the delegate of the Hungarian episcopate for contacts with the Episcopal Commission of the European Community (COMECE), regularly organising a Mass for Europe at the beginning of the six-month presidency of a particular EU country in the Council of Europe.
Bishop Mohos and COMECE President Archbishop Mariano Crociata also took part in the visit of an ecumenical delegation of representatives of European Christian communities to Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén in Budapest last week. Foreign Ministers Miklos Soltesz and Tristan Azbej, who are responsible for church affairs and the Hungarian state program for international aid, also took part in talks with representatives of the Catholic COMECE and the Conference of European Churches (CEC), founded by the Anglican, Old Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Church communities persecuted Christians on June 24.
The meeting was an opportunity to present the contribution to the main political priorities of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council, a COMECE statement said.
Orbán: Make Europe great again
Viktor Orban described the ceremony of the transfer of the presidency, which took place on Monday at the headquarters of the head of the Belgian government in Brussels, as “joyful”. “Everyone is happy that it is our turn to make Europe great again,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Orbán was referring to the slogan of the Hungarian presidency of the EU Council: “Make Europe great again”. It is a paraphrase of the famous slogan of the presidency of Donald Trump in the US and the MAGA movement, an acronym for “Make America Great Again”.
According to media reports, the Hungarian prime minister plans to create a “coalition for peace” in the European Parliament. According to Viktor Orban, the European Union authorities are dominated by those who are ready for war with Russia.
Let us not forget that in early June, tens of thousands of people gathered in the Hungarian capital for a march in support of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his pro-peace policy regarding the war in Ukraine. Earlier, during the election campaign, Orbán assured his compatriots that his government would not allow Hungary to get involved in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
