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The Day of Remembrance of the Nándorfehérvár Triumph (today’s Belgrade) is a celebration not only for Hungarians, but also for Christian Europe and the Christian world today, said the Secretary of State for Defense Strategy at a commemoration ceremony held on Saturday at the statue of John Hunyadi, located next to the Fisherman’s Bastion in Budapest, reports Magyar Nemzet.
Gábor Gion pointed out that church bells have been ringing at 12 noon for more than half a millennium. This has been the case ever since the Christian world realized that its society, culture, values, and existence were under threat, he said.
At that time, Ottoman expansion was becoming increasingly threatening, yet there was a lack of European unity and a lack of will to help the Kingdom of Hungary, he pointed out.
Gion highlighted that
Pope Callixtus was one of those who recognized the impending danger and ordered church bells to be rung in churches and the faithful to pray for victory over the Turks.
Soon the bells were no longer tolled in supplication, but in gratitude, and they have been ringing ever since to remind us that our ancestors had won a great victory over the most formidable army in the world at that time,” the Secretary of State recalled.
Gábor Gion at the commemoration. Photo via MTI/Péter Lakatos
He referred to the fact that
the most famous battle of the Middle Ages against the Turks was fought between July 14 and 21, 1456. Despite being outnumbered several times over, the crescent flag was not raised on the tower of Nándorfehérvár.
One of the most brilliant successes in Hungarian military history halted Turkish expansion for seven decades, he added.
Gion said that nowadays, statues and public squares bear the name of John Hunyadi, and the prize awarded to those who have done outstanding work in the defense of the homeland is named after him.
The figure and the life of the “great Turkish fighter” can still be an example centuries later, even in an age when it is not fashionable to choose historical role models,
he noted.
He stressed that Hunyadi defended his homeland to the end, always keeping Hungary’s interests in mind, even if this meant losing his wealth or his own physical safety.
In 2011, the Parliament declared July 22nd as the Day of Remembrance of the Nándorfehérvár Victory, he noted.
MTI/Lakatos Péter
“As Hungarians who love our homeland, we have a duty to count every day as a reason for being who we are: an independent nation with Christian values and identity, striving for peace at all times,” he said.
The message of Nándorfehérvár for all of us, which is still alive today, is that faith and patriotism, combined with perseverance and determination, can turn the tide of even a battle that is doomed to be lost,”
concluded the State Secretary.
Via Magyar Nemzet, Featured image via MTI/Lakatos Péter