Hungary Concerned About Mounting Persecution Of Christians
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary has expressed concern about mounting “Anti-Christian sentiments and the persecution of Christians.”
In a message ahead of the New Year, Tristan Azbej, Hungary’s state secretary for assisting persecuted Christians, said his country would help those suffering for their Christian faith through the Hungary Helps Program.
Azbej mentioned Nigeria as an example, saying “nearly no Christmas passes without an anti-Christian terrorist attack” in the African nation.
Thousands of Christians have been killed in Nigeria in recent years by Islamic fighters linked to a variety of groups, Worthy News documented.
Azbej said Hungary’s government recently sent aid worth 100 million forints ($260,000) to support Christians in that country as part of a broader effort to help persecuted believers.
He told Hungarian radio that the donation was aimed at saving lives as well as to help local Christians “find a safe future” in their homeland “rather than having to emigrate.”
Hungary’s government has been criticized by the European Union over its strict anti-migration policies, but the government says it seeks to support refugees in their own region.
HUNGARY HELPS
“Hungary Helps aims to facilitate fast humanitarian aid but also to strengthen Christian communities in the long run,” in their own nations, Azbej stressed.
He noted that in Lebanon some 60 churches have been renovated through Hungary’s program.
The state secretary added that the scheme “was similarly instrumental in preserving the cultural heritage in Syria and Iraq.”
“These are small sums for the Hungarian budget, but in those countries they could make a difference between staying in the homeland or emigration,” the state secretary added.
He earlier said that Christians are the single most persecuted group in the world.
More than 360 million Christians, or 1 in 7 believers worldwide, face persecution, according to advocacy group Open Doors and other researchers, up from 1 in 8 in 2021.
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