Budapest, Hungary, Nov 26, 2006 / 22:00 pm
The Bishops’ Conference of Hungary called a decision by the government to cut off annual subsidies to Church institutions “unacceptable discrimination” and said it violates the country’s accord with the Holy See.
The Hungarian bishops had requested a meeting with the Minister of Finance before the budget was submitted to Congress, but their request was not granted and the budget that was adopted included a measure cutting off funding for Catholic institutions.
The bishops said the decision amounted to “discrimination against the educational, social and cultural institutions run by the Church. We do not approve that the government of the Republic of Hungary does not fulfill the obligations it assumed under the international accord signed with the Holy See.”
“We accept as something normal that there be certain restrictions,” the bishops noted, “even with regards to ecclesial institutions, but we believe that a discriminatory attitude towards the Church is unacceptable.”