20th December, 2013
A senior Democratic member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has warned that a Hungarian government investigation into a key evangelical church "opens the door" to communist-style "repressive measures" against faith groups.
In a statement obtained by BosNewsLife early this week, Senator Ben Cardin said he was disturbed that Hungary’s center-right leadership is "launching an investigation into the Methodist Evangelical Church, a church persecuted during communist times.
The denomination, officially called the ‘Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship’ (HEF), "is known for its outreach to Roma, work with the homeless and is one of the largest charitable organizations in Hungary," Senator Cardin told the Senate on 13th December.
It was among "hundreds of religious groups stripped of official recognition" in this former communist nation, after Hungary’s new religion law was rushed through parliament by supporters of the ruling Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orb‚àö¬∞n, he noted.
"The church has now complied with submitting the necessary number of supporters required by the law and, as a reply, the government has announced an unidentified ‘expert’ will conduct an investigation into the church’s beliefs and tenets," the senator added.
In a statement, Hungary’s Ministry for Human Resources confirmed the probe would focus on "evaluating whether the church”s activities are primarily of a religious nature."
The investigation is also aimed at uncovering "whether the church complies with its own beliefs and rituals, and whether the church has maintained an active congregation over the past 20 years in Hungary," the ministry said, citing regulations introduced in 2011 and 2013.
Pastor G√°bor Iv√°nyi condemned the latest "official assault" on his Methodist church, which claims to have at least 18,000 members.
In an open letter he said the church was "dedicated to following the teachings of Jesus Christ" by serving the community. He made clear that the investigation was painful as his church was "persecuted and banned during the communist era."
In earlier remarks he said, "Those who voted for the (religious) law are not with us…This is called dictatorship."
Senator Cardin agrees. "This step only reinforces fears that parliamentary denial of recognition as a so-called "Accepted Church" opens the door for further repressive measures," he explained, according to records obtained by BosNewsLife.
The government has denied wrongdoing. It says the ‘Law on the Right to Freedom of Conscience and Religion, and on Churches, Religions and Religious Communities’ prevents abuse of Hungary’s tax regulations and other laws.
– STEFAN J BOS, BosNewsLife
