Bishop of Vác Miklós Beer commented on the living conditions of the Hungarian Roma people. He thinks the situation is escalating to the point that it could potentially break the country apart. While in Klubrádió, Beer said he agrees with Bishop of Szombathely János Székely’s grim portrait of Hungarian-Roma coexistence. Székely said, “It is feared that the country is falling apart; we are heading towards a second Trianon.”
According to Beer, a clear discussion is needed in order to formulate a strategy within the church that can be utilized outward. The Catholic Church knows something needs to be done, but it has only come so far. Only a few enthusiastic priests are dealing with the issues affecting the Roma population, locally.
According to the Bishop, the situation has deteriorated tremendously since the transition. It is apparent that this issue is not important to society. There is also not enough real or public work, well developed vocational training or cheap apartments for rent available to the poor.
Government looks on the bright side
The Hungarian government’s decision to provide job opportunities instead of welfare for the Roma community has significantly reduced Roma unemployment over the past decade, the Head of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Monday.
Hungarian Workforce 10 Thousand Short Yearly Due to Lack of Education
The government programs aimed at helping the Roma between 1990 and 2010 proved unsuccessful. However, 2010 marked the beginning of a new era in Roma policy, Gergely Gulyás declared at an event celebrating International Romani Day.
One of the lessons to be learned from the past decade, he said, is that of the subsidiarity principle. It was especially important to Roma communities. In order for a scheme to be successful, it had to have “local legs,” Gulyás said. The government is currently looking for opportunities to help the Roma community using government spending.
On the featured photo: Bishop Miklós Beer. Photo by mno.hu