Out of 5 victims of religious persecution worldwide, 4 are Christians. Thank God for courageous Hungary, a small country speaking up for millions of persecuted Christians. Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP was privileged to attend, and reports:
The international conference last week in Budapest was attended by over 650 delegates from all over the world, with speeches by Prime Minister Orban and by dozens of Cardinals, Archbishops and dignitaries of the Catholic Church and of other Christian communities. Former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Cardinal Mueller stated that undergoing hostility from the world is part of being followers of Christ, so that we must not lose heart but bear witness and persevere.
Awareness must be raised and anti-Christian persecution must not be camouflaged under the guise of religious persecution in general (‘as if anti-Semitism were never addressed specifically, but only racism in general’, a lay speaker suggested); or even denied as if attacks against Christians were accidental manifestations of purely ethnic and economical problems (e.g. African tribes merely fighting for water or pastures). Hungarian Ambassador to the Holy See Eduard Habsburg wondered: ‘I ask myself why people suddenly turn quiet when you begin to speak about the plight of Christians all over the world.’
The main issues at stake are 1) the shrinking presence of Christians in the Levant after 20 centuries, now more and more under threat (90% Christians have left Irak since the fall of Saddham Hussein); and 2) how the West can learn from these tragedies and prevent the eradication of Christianity in our our own countries, where lawmakers and the media are unbloodily but even more successfully erasing the Christian values and identity.
‘Hungarians make up only 0.02 percent of the world’s population, so how much difference can it make? Is it worth it?’ Prime Minister Orbán asked. He answered his own question by reflecting on the 12 apostles who, though small in number, changed the world with the Good News. ‘Standing up for our persecuted brothers and sisters engenders courage in ourselves and others,’ Orbán continued.
Orbán noted that the first Hungarian tribes arrived in the Carpathian Basin 1,100 years ago but many other groups had come and gone before them. ‘To this day Hungarians are curious as to why we were the ones to survive,’ the prime minister said. ‘According to the most widely accepted answer, our military capabilities and vigour would not have been enough, so the key to our survival was our conversion to Christianity.’
‘There are some who see this as primarily a diplomatic feat or one of state organisation, and it was exactly those things, but first and foremost it was a spiritual rebirth and a real conversion,’ Orbán said. ‘The Hungarian people and their government believe that Christianity can help peoples and nations survive, just as it had happened with us,’ he added. ‘Our first Christian king was more than just a remarkable ruler,’ Orbán said, adding that King St. Stephen had been a visionary who had given Hungarians guidance and a ‘spiritual and political compass’. The prime minister said Hungary was right to stand up for Christianity, arguing that ‘goodness inspires goodness’ and Hungarians’ commitment to helping persecuted Christians ‘breeds courage’. ‘Our example can have a far reach,’ he said. ‘Actions can free those who are crippled and restore faith in personal action.’
Orbán said the question may arise whether there was already enough to be done about anti-Christian sentiment in Europe and if there was even a need to provide help to other continents. ‘The troubles of Christianity in Europe and the persecution of Christians in other places cannot be separated from one another,’ he argued. ‘Europe is quiet,’ Orbán said. ‘A mysterious force shuts the mouths of European politicians and cripples their arms.’ He said the issue of Christian persecution could only be considered a human rights issue in Europe, insisting that ‘Christians are not allowed to be mentioned on their own, only together with other groups that are being persecuted for their faiths.’ The persecution of Christians ‘is therefore folded into the diverse family of persecuted religious groups’, he added.
Hungarian State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians Tristan Azbej : Defending Christianity is a matter of honour.
‘We have 245 million reasons to be here. This is how many people are persecuted daily because of their Christian belief,’ Hungarian State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians Tristan Azbej said Nov. 26 as he opened the conference.
The Prime Minister said that while religious persecution should not be underestimated, those who treated the persecution of Christians solely as a humanitarian problem failed to mention the most important thing. ‘It’s not just the people and the communities but also the culture as a whole that is being subjected to an organised and comprehensive attack,’ he said. ‘Even in the land of our culture, our civilisation, the most successful Christian civilisation to date: Europe.’ He said this attack was being carried out through ‘the replacement of the population, immigration, stigmatisation, insults and the muzzle of political correctness’.
Orbán said there were many ‘good and true Christian politicians’ in Europe today but they were stymied from openly stating their views due to a mix of constant coalition negotiations and succumbing to the power relations of Europe’s media. Hungary, he said, was blessed with political stability, a public against migration, and a majority that demanded the protection of Christian culture. He said Hungarian politics started from the position that ‘we Christians have the right to protect our culture and way of life’. Orbán said that unlike many politicians elsewhere in Europe, ‘we believe people should be encouraged to live and thrive where their ancestors have lived for centuries. So the Hungary Helps scheme is about rebuilding schools, hospitals and dwellings in troubled parts of the world and providing young people with an education at Hungarian universities, he said.
He said Europeans were wrong to think that the persecution of Christians could never take place in their own country. He said that even though Europe had suffered at the hands of terrorists several times, ‘many Islamic State soldiers’ had come from western European countries while ‘Islamic masses’ had migrated to Europe illegally and unchecked. Demographic forecasts indicate that the religious and cultural proportions in some European countries will change rapidly, he said, adding that Europe could only be ‘saved’ by re-establishing its Christian identity.
Read more at: https://dailynewshungary.com/international-conference-on-persecuted-christians-orban-europe-can-only-be-saved-by-returning-to-christianity/
25 MEN reflected on… ‘Restoring Manhood: Man as son of God, husband and father.’
We spent a great weekend (29 Nov-1 Dec) at Theodore House, the brand new retreat centre at Stonyhurst. There were 23 laymen, most of them husbands and dads. Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP led the retreat, asssited by Deacon Roger Gilbride, FSSP. Thank you to Director Stefan and to Parish Priest Fr Tim Curtis, SJ for their friendly welcome. We venerated the many relics of saints displayed in the School Museum (e.g. above: crucifix of St Thomas More). We hope to come again soon. (Our next scheduled retreat there is for clerics, from 27 April to 1 May 2020 – bookings@christianheritagecentre.com.)
On Sunday 24th November the Superior General of the FSSP, Fr Andrzej Komorowski, will celebrate the first Fraternity Mass in the Parish of Faithlegg, Waterford.
If you haven’t done so already please respond to the consultation by 5pm today. You may wish to do so using the link below as it only takes a few clicks! We need as many responses from the pro-life side as possible, particularly in the Manchester area. Please share the link!!
Manchester City Council has opened a consultation on a proposed censorship zone (PSPO) at Wynnstay Grove. If implemented the censorship zone would among other things criminalise:
Free speech
Signage
Prayer
Counselling
The offer of leaflets
You can respond to the consultation below! Please use this tool and share with like-minded people. The consultation closes on Friday 15th November!
Is God calling ME? Matrimony, celibacy, monastery, seminary, Fraternity?
If you are a single Catholic man between 18 and 29 years of age, come and discern with us at St Mary’s Priory & Church. Shrine Rector Fr de Malleray, FSSP will lead the Weekend, assisted by Fr Ian Verrier, FSSP and Deacon Roger Gilbride, FSSP. There will be talks, prayers (Divine Office in our beautiful church), Holy Mass and informal chatting with fellow guests. Possibility of private meetings with a priest, and of confession.
[No sign up sheet for the FSSP at the end of the Weekend!] Feel welcome confidentially to call, email or write for any questions. Residential, at St Mary’s Priory: 2 nights and 2 days. FREE for unwaged and students. Others: £60 per person in total.
COME & SEE. Please share the information with your friends!
BOOKINGS & CONTACT: [not via Facebook] malleray@fssp.org (read by Fr de Malleray only); 01925 635664 (Priory’s Landline).
—————————- VOCATION NEWS: 11 FSSP UK PRIESTS IN 16 YEARS
We have currently six young men from England & Wales in formation at our two international seminaries. Three of our deacons from England were ordained priests at St Mary’s Warrington in the past two years by Archbishop McMahon, OP of Liverpool. Those were the first EF priestly ordinations by a diocesan bishop in England in fifty years.
In total, 45 young men were admitted into our two seminaries this autumn including 3 from England and Ireland.
We give thanks for 1 new priest from the UK ordained every year over the past 4 years, and more generally for 11 of them ordained over the past 16 years: Fr Konrad Loewenstein in 2002; Fr Brendan Gerard in 2006; Frs Matthew Goddard and William Barker in 2009; Fr Simon Harkins in 2010; Fr Matthew McCarthy in 2011; Fr Ian Verrier in 2015; Fr James Mawdsley in 2016; Frs Alex Stewart and Krzysztof Sanetra in 2017; Fr Seth Phipps last year.
“Restoring Manhood: Man as son of God, husband and father”
Led by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP, the weekend is intended for any man aged 18 years or older, single or married.
The retreat will consist of conferences preached by Fr Armand, within a framework of prayer.
Holy Mass will be celebrated each day in the Extraordinary Form. The day’s structure will include Eucharistic adoration, rosary and Latin compline and Confession.
Make use of the Theodore House Oratory or St Peter’s church for private prayer.
Enjoy the beautiful surrounding countryside with its network of footpaths.
Comfortable en-suite accommodation make Theodore House a fantastic retreat setting!
Timings Arrivals: from 3pm, Friday 29th November. Retreat commences with Mass at 6pm, followed by dinner at 7pm. Departures: after lunch, Sunday 1st December
Cost Full board and single room: £160 p.p. Full board and twin room: £110 p.p. A £50 deposit will be required upon booking.
In the brand new retreat centre in historic Jesuit college in Lancashire. Make use of the Theodore House Oratory or St Peter’s church for private prayer. Enjoy the beautiful surrounding countryside with its network of footpaths. Comfortable en-suite accommodation make Theodore House a fantastic retreat setting!
• Clergy Retreat 27 April – 1st May 2020 • Arrival by 3pm on Monday 27th April 2020 • Departure 3pm on Friday 1st May 2020 • Theme: The priests and Holy Church: her sons and defenders. • Preached by : Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP • For: Any diocesan and religious clerics, including deacons and seminarians • Daily Mass (missal of your choice), Holy Hour and Latin Compline
Scope: Holy Church is under attack and her priests are undermined. Can we still profess the Church as holy and the priesthood as sacred? The traditional ecclesiology, spirituality and liturgy explain why the sins of her sons wound the Bride of Christ and yet do not mar her purity, neither invalidate their calling. After the example of the Sovereign High Priest Jesus Christ, today as ever, priestly sanctity is essential to the welfare of Holy Church.
Cost £320 in total (4 days full board single room with ensuite). BOOKINGS: send your £50 and/or full payment to:
About the preacher: For fifteen years Fr de Malleray has been giving clergy retreats at various venues in England and abroad. Based in the Liverpool Archdiocese, he is the author of ‘Ego Eimi – It is I: Falling in Eucharistic Love‘ [https://www.lumenfidei.ie/product/ego-eimi-it-is-i/]. His forthcoming book is on the sacred priesthood. He is the editor of the quarterly magazine Dowry, and general chaplain of the youth movement Juventutem and of the Confraternity of St Peter, an international prayer network for priestly vocations and ministry.
———————– In response to a priest’s enquiry: the retreat is not aimed at promoting the Extraordinary Liturgy in Latin. Fr de Malleray gives retreats to clergy every year. Their purpose is spiritual input for fellow priests, regardless of what form of the Mass they offer. In fact, most participants are diocesan clergy who say only or mostly the Ordinary Form of the Mass.
The themes are diverse: Year of Mercy, Year for Priests, The Priest and Our Lady, The Priest and Martyrdom, The Priest and the Eucharist.
ADVENT RECOLLECTION for the laity at Douai Abbey, Berks.: 20-22 December 2019 ——————————— Starts Friday 20 December 2019 with EF Holy Mass at 6PM, followed by 7PM Supper (arrival from 4PM). Ends Sunday 22 December 2019 at 3PM after lunch and last conference. ——————————— Led by Frs Armand de Malleray, FSSP & Patrick O’Donohue, FSSP on the theme: “Our Holy Mother the Church”.
——————————— Costs: £141.60 for single room with en-suite full board; £108.00 for shared room.
The price above is integrally to meet the costs of Douai Abbey on whose behalf we coordinate the bookings. Please budget an added £10 per person (suggested) to hand to us while at the Abbey for the costs incurred by our Fraternity to organise and give the retreat. ——————————— Location: Douai Abbey, Upper Woolhampton, Reading RG7 5TQ, Berkshire, England. ——————————— Booking: ATTENTION: Please DO NOT book directly with Douai Abbey. Instead, please send any booking correspondence and fees to us at: ‘Advent Retreat 2019, St John Fisher House, 17 Eastern Avenue, Reading RG1 2NS, Berkshire, England’. Preferably pay by direct bank transfer to our FSSP England bank account: Bank Name: Lloyds Bank Sort Code: 30-93-04 Account number: 02027225 Account name: FSSP England
Alternatively, include in your booking form a cheque in British Pounds payable to ‘FSSP England’ for either the full amount, or for a non refundable £30.00 deposit per person.
