Number of Children Attending Church Schools More than Doubles

L-R: Secretary for Relations with States of the Vatican Paul Richard Gallagher and Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó

Hungary and the Vatican will continue to consistently stand for peace in the coming period and will support peace efforts by all means, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Budapest on Friday after meeting his Vatican counterpart, Paul Richard Gallagher. The meeting also touched upon the tasks related to the protection of Christianity.

At the joint press conference, the Hungarian Foreign Minister expressed his appreciation for the role the Holy See has taken in engaging with the fighting parties and in promoting peace negotiations.

We agree with Archbishop Gallagher’s earlier assessment that peace requires more courage than war, and that we should choose dialogue over violence and honesty over hypocrisy,”

he emphasized.

Mr. Szijjártó also expressed his hope that Brussels would not block peace-building, while welcoming the new milestones reached in the peace talks, the Black Sea security agreement, and the ban on attacks on energy infrastructure.

He also touched on the challenges of protecting Christianity, pointing out that attacks on Christian communities have recently gained momentum. “Last year, 380 million Christians lived in places where they faced persecution and there were 4,476 documented cases of Christians being killed for their faith around the world. This is clearly unacceptable,” he stressed.

The minister confirmed that the Hungarian government will continue to support persecuted Christians through the Hungary Helps program.

So far, we have implemented more than 400 humanitarian projects in 64 countries around the world with more than 40 billion forints, and we will continue these efforts in the future,”

he emphasized.

Hungary and the Vatican have been the strongest voices for peace. We greatly value the Holy See’s commitment to peace-building. Over the past 11 years, we have also worked together with Archbishop Gallagher to support persecuted Christians. pic.twitter.com/RGZbOQ5UnB

— Péter Szijjártó (@FM_Szijjarto) March 28, 2025

Péter Szijjártó also pointed out that more than 15 percent of children in Hungary who are obliged to attend school, around 260,000, now attend a religious institution. “We can understand the significance of this from the fact that in 2010, this figure was only 112,000. So during our government, the number of children attending church schools has more than doubled, and the Hungarian government has contributed to the renovation and construction of 400 religious public education institutions over the past 15 years,” he said.

The Foreign Minister also expressed his joy that the beatification of the martyr Mária Magdolna Bódi and the Greek Catholic Bishop Péter Pál Orosz will soon take place. “All this will strengthen the Catholic community in Hungary in its faith, which is needed every day in the very difficult challenges of the present times,” he underlined.

At the press conference, Paul Richard Gallagher mentioned the Holy See’s commitment to peace, justice, and understanding between the parties. He said that armed conflicts, whether in Sudan, Ukraine, or the Middle East, are leading to a devastating humanitarian catastrophe that needs a comprehensive solution.

He highlighted that religion is an indispensable bridge in peace-building, promoting reconciliation and dialogue between peoples and cultures.

In this context, he also said that the Holy See appreciates Hungary’s efforts, particularly in the field of humanitarian aid to oppressed communities, especially persecuted Christians. Finally, Archbishop Gallagher also spoke of the Vatican’s concern about the global challenge to peace, citing forced migration and environmental damage as examples. He stressed the need for a joint effort by civil society, governments, and various organizations.

Gallagher also took part in a wreath-laying ceremony on Friday at a plaque in memory of Apostolic Nuncio Angelo Rotta.

Angelo Rotta represented the Holy See in Hungary between 1930 and 1945, and helped foreigners and persecuted persons fleeing to Hungary during the difficult war years. Rotta’s reports were summarized in the two books of the Friends of Hungary Foundation (publisher of our site): From the Political Reports of Nuncio Angelo Rotta 1930-1939, 1938-1945.

The event was attended by Prof. E. Sylvester Vizi, co-founder of the Friends of Hungary Foundation.

Featured photo via MTI/Bruzák Noémi