Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk on archpastoral visit to Hungary

On June 27, His Grace Tikhon met with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Vice-Premier Semjén Zsolt. They discussed the development of cooperation between the state and the Diocese of Budapest and Hungary in the task of preserving and developing Christian values in society. They also dealt with the organization of a visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to Hungary. Special attention was given to the work to restore Orthodox churches carried out thanks to a monetary subsidy granted by the Hungarian Government. The respective agreements were signed in March 2017.

On June 30, Bishop Tikhon met with Catholic Archbishop of Esztergom -Budapest Cardinal Peter Erdӧ. They discussed the forthcoming visit of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church to Hungary and the interaction between the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Budapest and Hungary and the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary.

Later that day, Bishop Tikhon met with the Hungarian State Secretary Miklós Soltész, state secretary in charge of church, minority and civil society relations. They discussed a project for restoration of the tower of the Cathedral of the Dormition in Budapest and a special resolution of the Hungarian Government on giving the status of a priority project to the restoration of churches of the Diocese of Budapest and Hungary. This decision makes it possible to shorten bureaucratic procedures in the process of restoration of diocesan churches.

Later Bishop Tikhon met with the Mayor of ÜrömMr. Gabor Laboda to discuss the progress of the restoration work to decorate the interior of the church of the Holy Martyr Alexandra in the city. It is the oldest Russian church in Europe, if separate church buildings, not domestic chapels are counted. They outlined further steps for the restoration of the historic monument.

On the same day, Bishop Tikhon had a talk with the rector of the Orthodox Parish of Our Lady the Life-Giving Spring in Heviz, Archpriest Nikolay Kim. They considered a project for a new church to be built in the city using the grant given by the Hungarian Government.

In addition, an agreement was signed for the Diocese of Budapest and Hungary to purchase a plot of land in Heviz for building the first Orthodox church in the city. Another agreement was concluded for purchasing the church of the Holy Trinity and the parish house in Debrecen, which had been rented since 2010.

On July 1, when the Akhtyra Icon of the Mother of God is celebrated, Bishop Tikhon celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the church of the Life-Giving Trinity in the city of Miskolc, where a copy of the miracle-working Akhtyra Icon of the Heavenly Queen is kept. Among the worshippers were the Tokaj Mayor György Posta and children from the parish summer camp. By a decree of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the rector of the St. George church in Szeged Archpriest Tibor Imrene has been granted the right to serve the Divine Liturgy with the Holy Gates open after the Lord’s Prayer, and the Rev. Kirill Tatarka, a cleric of the church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Miskolc, has been elevated to the rank of archpriest.

In the evening, in Budapest, the first meeting of the working group for restoration of Orthodox churches in the diocese of Hungary took place under the chairmanship of Bishop Tikhon. The group includes lawyers, constructors, restorers and financiers. The first meeting discussed the duties of each member of the group as well as further steps for the forthcoming construction and restoration work.

Source: Russian Orthodox Church