Equal Treatment of Churches a Focus of LWF President?s Meeting with Hungarian State Official Call for Government Support to Lutheran Church Social Ministries
BUDAPEST, Hungary/GENEVA, 8 November 2006 (LWI) - Cooperation between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary (ELCH) and the national government was a theme of a series of meetings involving local church leaders and Bishop Mark S. Hanson, president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, visited Hungary from 26 to 29 October. His wife, Ione, accompanied him.
During discussions with Katalin Szili, president of the National Assembly (Parliament) of Hungary, the LWF president and the ELCH representatives focused on a variety of church and state issues such as funding, cooperatio n, equal treatment of churches and the current political situation.
Noting that the ELCH had made a significant commitment to social service through its diaconal program, Hanson told Szili that he was "always concerned" that small Lutheran churches were recognized for their contributions in their home countries. "My hope is that they (ELCH social ministries) are supported by the government and are not overlooked," he said.
Szili pointed out that the ELCH?s contributions to education, charity and social work were "very important," adding that the government and the church must work more closely together. She also proposed that regular discussions between the church and government be "institutionalized." The church, she said, "should witness to the values of human life."
The ELCH Presiding Bishop Janos Ittzes noted that churches in Hungary should be treated equally by the government, adding that they have had their difficulties because of past aggression under the former Communist regime.
"We can create a framework under which we can do further work, and I fully agree with equal treatment of churches," Hanson told the president of the Hungarian parliament. "Transparency and accountability: we ask that of ourselves, and we expect that from governments."
The ELCH has 305,000 members in a country of approximately 10 million people. It joined the LWF in 1947. (341 words)
(ELCA News Service)
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(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 140 member churches in 78 countries all over the world, with a total membership of 66.2 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)
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