At the celebratory church service held on the occasion of the inauguration of the refurbished Dunamellék episcopal office, Reformed theology college and student accommodation, the Prime Minister highlighted that wherever there is a great need, help is within reach, and this was so also on the terrible day when they walked through the burnt-out corridors of the Ráday student accommodation facility and college. But already back then there was hope because on the day after the tragedy, donations immediately started pouring in, and within just a few days, several million forints were collected for the refurbishment works and assistance for the resident students, he recalled.
He said when one enters the building via the old entrance in Ráday utca, one is received by a monumental staircase, at the first turn of which there is a group of statues featuring the heroes of the Reformed faith. “The gaze of our ancestors measures us,” including those whose duty it is to lead and to protect the country, he said.
According to the Prime Minister, the goal that the reformers gave us “is a command to preserve not only our faith, but also our Hungarian identity”. This is why there was no question that the state and the government would stand with the Hungarian Reformed Church in trouble as this is why it is a national government. This is more than a duty, more like repayment because we have received much from the college since it first opened its gates, he recalled.
He took the view that anything that happened in the college benefited the nation. Entire generations of Reformed Church pastors set out from here, served Hungary faithfully, took with them their faith, knowledge, self-esteem and Hungarian identity, accepted the difficult trials and the Lord performed a miracle through them, he said.
He said Hungary had gained strength time and again to start again, to renew itself, to rebuild the country after destruction. Today, we need this renewing strength that constitutes the essence of the Reformed Church identity at least as much as we did after World War II or the fall of the communist regime, he pointed out.
Among the present-day trials, Mr Orbán mentioned the war, famine and pandemics.
He said we must stand up and fight for our truth, “equally as individuals and as a nation”. Today, our difficulties are grave indeed, but whenever one runs out of strength, “mercy always makes up for it,” he pointed out.
The Prime Minister stressed that no matter how dark the clouds are, no matter how high the waves rise and no matter how unconquerable the obstacles appear, we must only heed the words of the Psalms: Have faith!
