On October 11 to 13 in Budapest, Hungary was held the Memorial Conference on: “The Past, Present and Future of the Sovereign Order of Malta in the Central-Eastern European Region”.
Three very important anniversaries were commemorated: the 900th anniversary of official recognition of the Order by Pope Paschal II’s (1113-2013), the 85th anniversary of the foundation of the Order’s Hungarian Association (1928-2013) and the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the Order of Malta’s Hungarian assistance service (1989-2014).
This event, with the participation of the Grand Master Fra’ Matthew Festing and around 200 people from 12 countries, including Albania, was also an opportunity to review the initiatives the Order has promoted in this part of Europe, also thanks to the development of social services in Hungary, where the Order of Malta’s assistance corps (MMSZ) helps the needy with the support of 20,000 volunteers.
The opening session was held in the prestigious seat of the Hungarian parliament. The speakers included the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Sándor Lezsák and the Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, who stressed the historic bonds of friendship between the Sovereign Order of Malta and Hungary and their shared Christian roots, expressing their appreciation for the successful cooperation developed through numerous health and social services at home and abroad.
“We are grateful to the Hungarian Parliament,” Fra’ Matthew Festing said, “for having allowed us to hold the conference in this hall, in the very place where the cooperation agreement between Hungary and the Sovereign Order of Malta was ratified with a large majority on 29 November 2010. This bilateral agreement is an important working instrument underpinning the health, welfare and humanitarian initiatives the Order of Malta carries out in this country”.
A poster exhibition illustrated the activities the Order of Malta’s institutions carry out in Albania, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine and Hungary.
This event, with the participation of the Grand Master Fra’ Matthew Festing and around 200 people from 12 countries, including Albania, was also an opportunity to review the initiatives the Order has promoted in this part of Europe, also thanks to the development of social services in Hungary, where the Order of Malta’s assistance corps (MMSZ) helps the needy with the support of 20,000 volunteers.
The opening session was held in the prestigious seat of the Hungarian parliament. The speakers included the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Sándor Lezsák and the Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, who stressed the historic bonds of friendship between the Sovereign Order of Malta and Hungary and their shared Christian roots, expressing their appreciation for the successful cooperation developed through numerous health and social services at home and abroad.
“We are grateful to the Hungarian Parliament,” Fra’ Matthew Festing said, “for having allowed us to hold the conference in this hall, in the very place where the cooperation agreement between Hungary and the Sovereign Order of Malta was ratified with a large majority on 29 November 2010. This bilateral agreement is an important working instrument underpinning the health, welfare and humanitarian initiatives the Order of Malta carries out in this country”.
A poster exhibition illustrated the activities the Order of Malta’s institutions carry out in Albania, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine and Hungary.