1.
Important Church Events in Hungary
Budapest was the venue for the Assembly of the Conference of European Churches (CEC)
The 14th Assembly of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) was held in Budapest from 3 rd to 8 th
July 2013. More than 120 protestant and 250 orthodox church delegates from all over the continent gathered for this outstanding European church event to make decisions about the renewal of the organisation and general reforms.
The charity campaign entitled 'It's Good to Be Good' was launched again by the Hungarian Media
Service Support and Asset Management Fund (MTVA), with the Catholic Caritas as its beneficiary.
There were many reports, interviews, documentaries and a number of media personalities helped in the presentation of the organisation. The primary objective of the charity event was the collection of donations.
On the occasion of the Hungarian Holocaust Memorial Year, an academic conference was organised by the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference in cooperation with Pázmány Péter Catholic
University on the Nostra Aetate document of the IInd Vatican Council discussing, among others, the relationship of the Christian and Jewish communities. The conference was held on 26th May 2014 with the participation of members of the episcopate and renowned scholars of the subject.
2.
Significant events for the local Church
Parallel with the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, a national catholic youth gathering was held in
the city of Pécs. Apart from the daily catechesis and mass celebrated by bishops, a colourful programme was offered to the participants aged 16-35. The young people visiting HungaRio had the opportunity to join in the events in Rio de Janeiro, too, as they could watch the papal speeches and masses on a large display screen every evening.
In 2013, the so-called Catholic Social Days were organised for the first time by the Caritas in
Veritate Commission of the Hungarian Bishops' Conference. The motto of the event series translates to 'We Belong Together'. It was held in the garden of the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest, from
20 th to 22 nd September. Catholic institutions and ngo-s active in social services were introduced. Current social problems and questions were also discussed, as well as the response of the Church originating from the Catholic faith.
On Saturday 19th October 2013 the beatification of the Salesian martyr brother István Sándor took
place on the square in front of Saint Stephen's Basilica in Budapest. The mass was celebrated by
Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom and Budapest. The decree on the beatification was announced by Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints Cardinal Angelo Amato, who was delegated by the Holy Father.
A national choral gathering was organised by the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference on 19th
October 2013. The concert was in the Budapest Congress Centre and it was the central event of the series called 'Hungarian Catholic Culture Days' with some two thousand singers belonging to a number of choirs representing fifteen dioceses.
Prayer for Peace in Saint Stephen's Basilica
Following the invitation of Pope Francis, on Saturday 7th September 2013, a service of prayer was held in
Saint Stephen's Basilica for peace in Syria and the entire Middle East. The liturgy was lead by Auxiliary
Bishop of Esztergom and Budapest Ferenc Cserháti. The prayer was assisted by religious movements and communities as well as representatives of the Sister churches.
On 14th October 2013 Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Péter Erdő Relator General of the Third
Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to be held from 5 th to 19 th October 2014 in the Vatican. The subject of the synod is going to be 'The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of
Evangelization'.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was held from 19 to 26 January 2014. The national opening church service was held in Budapest, in the Calvinist church on Kálvin Square on 19th January, starting at
6 pm.
The Saint Francis de Sales Media Scholarship was awarded to Mihály K. Debreceni this year.
A festive mass celebrated the patron saint of journalists on 27th January, offered for those working in the media. After this the media scholarship named after the bishop of Geneva was handed over by Auxiliary

Bishop of Esztergom and Budapest János Székely in the name of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops'
Conference, in the Central Seminary of Budapest.
From 10 th to 12 th March 2014, the permanent council of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops'
Conference received a visit of the members of the Romanian Bishops' Conference. The meeting was organised to enhance the feeling of fraternity.
Members of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference met Patriarch Bartholomew I
On the first day of his official visit to Hungary Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I was received by members of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference at the seat of the Conference. The orthodox church leader was greeted by Cardinal Péter Erdő.
3.
The most important subjects of the assemblies and the meetings of the Bishops’ Conference
The mandates of the directors of the Secretariate of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference were prolonged for another five years, thereby confirming Gábor Mohos as secretary and András Héray FSO as director of the office.