Hungary targets Evangelical Christians, US Sen Ben Cardin speaks out
A member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee has issued a statement warning the Hungarian government that investigation into a key evangelical church “opens the door” to communist-style “repressive measures” against faith groups.
In a statement obtained by BosNewsLife Democrat 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,” Cardin told the Senate.
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 Orbán, 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.
