"We are now on the good side of history, we are a free and independent nation, and for the past 12 years, we have been giving priority to national interests," he said.Continue reading
The service of field chaplains is a highly important mission during both peace and in war, said Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky at an event held on the occasion of the Day of Military Chaplains in Budapest on Thursday.
The minister praised the late Hungarian military officer, later priest and canon of Székesfehérvár, István Tabódy, whose life demonstrated the exceptional value of field chaplains’ work.
István Tabódy was born in 1921, and after attending the Military High School in Kőszeg, he was posted to the 3rd Nádasdy Ferenc Hussar Regiment in Nagyvárad (Oradea) in 1941. The minister recalled that István Tabódy was assigned to his grandfather, Tamás Bobrovniczky’s company, and thry fought together throughout the Second World War. István Tabódy was seriously wounded near Warsaw, and after 1948 he had to endure the misery of the Hungarian Royal Hungarian Defense Forces.
“He was active, he never hid his opinions, and was even taken to Recsk,” (one of Hungary’s most notorious labor camps established by the Communist regime to hold political prisoners), continued Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky.
He added that it was under the influence of Bishop Lajos Shvoy of Székesfehérvár that he began to devote himself more seriously to faith, and after various upheavals he was ordained a priest in 1958. After that, he served as a parish priest in Kisláng near Bicske.
The Minister expressed his gratitude that István Tabódy, who died in 2000 and was posthumously promoted to Major General, was still able to participate in the founding of the Bishop’s Service in the Field. Remembering him, he thanked the field chaplains for their service.
We are not in the days of peace, we see what is happening around us. God forbid we should need to serve our country, like István Tabódy, sometimes with faith, sometimes with blood, the Minister concluded his speech, according to MTI‘s report.
via MTI
Featured photo via kormany.hu