Hungary Urging Mideast Christians To Remain In Homeland

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (Worthy News) – Hungary’s anti-migration government says it will step up support for Christians in the Middle East to enable them “to remain in their homeland” despite concern about persecution and wars.

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said, “The birthplace of Christianity without Christians is unimaginable.”

Speaking at a conference in Budapest about the future of Lebanon’s Christian community, he noted that the world was living in “an era of dangers” and that the situation in the Middle East significantly impacted the security of Central and Eastern Europe, including Hungary.

He explained that Hungary, “as a country with more than a thousand years of Christian statehood,” felt “heavy responsibility” for the world’s Christians, especially for those facing hardship and persecution.

“And unfortunately, the Christians living in Lebanon are experiencing their share of hardship, Szijjártó said. “Therefore, it’s an important goal of ours to help Lebanon’s Christian community and keep doing so.”

He stressed it was crucial to ensure that Lebanon’s Christians were not forced to leave their homeland. “We must make sure that the places that have been home to Christian communities for centuries aren’t left without Christians.”

According to researchers, the number of Christians in the Middle East has diminished to just over 4 percent of the population, or some two million people, in recent years.

CHRISTIANS DISAPPEARING

“Christians were 12.7 percent of the region’s population in 1900 but only 4.2 percent in 2020, and it is likely that they will only represent 3.7 percent of the [mainly Muslim] population by 2050,” said the U.S.-based Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Szijjártó said Hungary spent tens of millions of dollars on enabling the Middle Eastern and, specifically, Lebanese Christian communities don’t have to leave.

“This requires investments to create jobs,” he said. “This requires schools so that children have a place to learn. It requires social and health institutions. And it requires churches so that people can practice their faith.”

Over the last seven years, the Hungarian government has spent some $20 million US dollars on 38 such programs in Lebanon, he said, adding that it was “perhaps most proud” of the fact that it had renovated close to 100 ancient Christian churches. He pledged that Hungary “is prepared to continue these programs,” including through a special secretariat.

Szijjártó said a key issue regarding the future of Lebanon’s Christian community was when the Syrian refugees taken in by the country would return home, given that their care was a “huge burden” on Lebanon.

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR says, “Lebanon remains a country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita and per square kilometer (mile) in the world, with the Government’s estimation of 1.5 million Syrian refugees and some 11,238 refugees of other nationalities.”

Over half the Lebanese population “is living below the poverty line, while a shocking 9 out of 10 Syrian refugees require humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs,” according to the UNHCR in a recent assessment.

EUROPEAN SUPPORT

Szijjártó noted that his European counterparts had been saying “for over ten years now” that the situation would quickly improve after former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s departure.

“Now that Assad is gone, I think it’s time the international community promoted the repatriation of the Syrians who fled to Lebanon,” he stressed.

Szijjártó called for establishing the political, security, and economic conditions to allow the repatriations of Syrians, adding it was “time to put political correctness aside and speak about this matter honestly and openly, and take this massive burden off Lebanon’s shoulder.”

It was unclear whether all Christians among Syrian refugees would agree with him amid reports of Shariah, or Islamic law, in at least some parts of Syria.

The minister said the weekend conference aimed to establish a mechanism “for aiding Lebanon’s long-term development,” especially its Christian communities.

“This, of course, requires resources,” Szijjártó said in remarks monitored Monday by Worthy News.

“We’re prepared to contribute. We hope that the members of the Lebanese diaspora, organizations, and foreign players will also contribute their fair share,” he said.

CHRISTIAN PARTY

Szijjártó announced that Hungary was prepared to “run a secretariat for such a mechanism” in Budapest and give humanitarian aid through its Hungary Helps program.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Foreign Minister Szijjártó later met Samy Gemayel, president of Lebanon’s Kataeb Party, a right-wing Christian political party.

The government explained that they discussed “the security and migration situation in the Middle East,” economic ties, and Hungary’s support for Christians.

Hungary is the only nation known to have a secretariat for persecuted Christians.

It cites research by the advocacy group Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List showing over 380 million Christians suffer “persecution or discrimination” worldwide for their faith in Jesus Christ.

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