‘Certain forces, possibly linked to Brussels, might attempt to interfere with the democratic voice of the Polish nation,’ warned Law and Justice (PiS) lawmaker Janusz Kowalski in an interview with Hungarian Conservative. In the conversation, Kowalski discussed the prospects ahead of the upcoming presidential election in Poland and also addressed the current state of Polish–Hungarian relations.
‘My parents attended the local Hungarian Reformed church, and I began attending as well. I saw how much these people needed spiritual life. They went to church out of habit and followed traditions, but they lacked true spiritual vitality. That’s when I became a Hungarian Reformed pastor. I realized that my mission was right here—I didn’t need to go any farther.’
‘Brick by brick, pew by pew, bell by bell, we dismantled the old church and transported it to Arad. It was an amazing feeling to save everything—the pulpit, communion table, Moses seat, and bell! The Arad County authorities approved the plan, but Bucharest vetoed it. That was the final blow that broke my father’s spirit…’
‘I believe we are entering a period—certainly by this time next year—when the choice between China and the United States will be on the table. And I do think Hungary will ultimately have to choose,’ Director of the American Military Project at The Claremont Institute’s Center for the American Way of Life argued in an interview with Hungarian Conservative.
‘Funding anti-government media and NGOs in developed countries…is not genuine development activity but political interference. The term “NGO” literally means “non-governmental organization”. However, practice shows that thousands of European NGOs struggle without American government money,’ government commissioner András László has told our site.
‘I’m proud that they speak two languages fluently. But we cannot take away from them the fact that they also love the place where they grew up, which is a part of their personality. Having an American identity doesn’t mean they lack a Hungarian one. In fact, I believe they are twice as rich, both emotionally and culturally—if we do it right.’
‘Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing the most serious constitutional crisis since its inception, and this crisis will be resolved through political and legal means,’ President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik told Hungarian Conservative. In the interview, the Bosnian Serb leader—currently facing two arrest warrants—sets out the lesser-known perspective of the ongoing tensions in the Western Balkans.
Why are children conservative creatures? Which has better statistics: the conservative or the liberal family model? And should the state interfere in family matters despite the old Republican concept? We talked to the Fellow of the Manhattan Institute about family policies and realities at the Danube Institute’s Family Formation conference in Budapest.
What does a woman learn about life after being a mother of eight children? How can we protect our children from external sexual ideological stimulations? And how can the state assist in protecting families and children? We asked the Professor of the Catholic University of America about family matters at the Danube Institute’s Family Formation conference in Budapest.
Is there any element of the Hungarian regulations on family that can be incorporated into American law? What damage has the erosion of family values caused to the mentality of young Americans? We spoke with the former Deputy Assistant to President Trump about ‘family lives matter’ and the new right generation at the Danube Institute’s Family Formation conference in Budapest.
‘Some left-wing think tanks in Poland are even saying we should stop trying to reverse demographic trends and instead “adjust” to depopulation. That’s like admitting defeat. It’s promoting a losing strategy,’ former Polish Deputy Minister of Family and Social Policy Barbara Socha highlighted in an interview with Hungarian Conservative.
‘Several countries…were accepting refugees back then. Mózsi was worried about America because of the Vietnam War…In the end, we chose America and arrived on 2 June 1969. Our sponsor was the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Reformed Church of New Brunswick, where Rev. Imre Bertalan, a wonderful man, was the pastor.’
‘I see that more and more people are drinking tea in Hungary, and more and more people are interested in where tea comes from, how it is grown, and how it is prepared. People are open to better quality teas and are also beginning to understand that tea is very healthy. That is why I encourage everyone to drink tea regularly because it is a pure drink full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.’
‘If you don’t fight for your national identity, your borders, and your culture, you know that they’re under threat. We don’t feel that threat in the UK and therefore we’ve been really lax and undiligent in thinking about what it means to be British,’ Ms Cates told our site in an exclusive interview that she gave during the Danube Institute’s Family Formation and the Future conference.
‘When I come to Hungary, I’m always amazed by how many young people are in important positions or leading organizations. That’s rare in Japan, where seniority and relationships established over decades is prioritized youth, talent and expertise. Japanese society doesn’t value young people enough,’ Japanese journalist Waka Ikeda pointed out in an interview with Hungarian Conservative.
‘Those countries that are thinking about their future are looking to Hungarian family policy as a model. The fundamental pillars of Hungarian family policy are the protection of family values and the financial support for families raising children,’ Minister for Culture and Innovation Balázs Hankó highlighted in an interview with Hungarian Conservative.
‘The honouraries of Highlights of Hungary represent all walks of life. We often say about ourselves that we are collecting highlights without any categorization. That is because the great message of the project is that everything can be done well. No matter what part of life God has put you in, you are tasked with a duty, and if you like it, you can excel in that’.
‘Sometimes, I’ve come across Hungarians in the most unlikely places. For example, I saw an article by a certain Rev. Laszlo LaDany from Hong Kong, who translated from Chinese to English. When I contacted him, it turned out that he had a niece in England whom my uncle and his wife were supporting.’
‘The Earth is likely to reach its physical, geological, and ecological limits in the near future, so the direction of the continuous human conquest of space will have to change. It must move inwards, towards a redistribution of proportions. I think it is the right attitude to be already working to recapture the human dimensions we have now lost.’
‘[Fado] was as if I had always known it, as if it had been invented for me. It wasn’t the form, it was the emotion packed into it that was so familiar. Sad and accepting: suffering is part of life. Fado takes pain to an artistic level and turns it into a blessing.’
Read Magyar Krónika’s translated interview with the first Hungarian fado singer in Lisbon below!
Is the EU capable of defending itself against the Russian threat? Why is the US turning away from Europe? Is there fear in an atheist’s heart of meeting Jesus after death? How well-founded are our strongly held beliefs? We asked the American philosopher in Budapest.
‘One of my grandfathers was a Reformed pastor, and the other was a county chief magistrate, so, from the Communist regime’s point of view, we were a “reactionary” family who didn’t accept the people’s democracy. Our family certainly helped us develop a healthy outlook on life. We weren’t spoiled; we got used to difficulties, and we even took them for granted.’
‘To put it simply, we don’t need an educational system with pressure, rewards, and punishments from above, but children themselves need to start to understand and feel that it’s not good to make fun of someone, for example, because the tables can turn quickly, and that the person with the most likes on Instagram may not be the most valuable in the real world.’
‘If Brussels clings to this policy [on Ukraine], Europe will further weaken itself and become increasingly irrelevant on the global stage,’ State Secretary of the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister Balázs Hidvéghi warned in an interview with Hungarian Conservative.
‘The starting point is that the European Union is facing a deep crisis, more than ever, because it’s increasingly bureaucratic, increasingly centralized, increasingly authoritarian, and less and less competitive….And since sooner or later you will have a reform of the treaties, our idea was to be ready to participate in this debate. How do we do that? With this report, which contains two scenarios.’
‘Our church is in an accessible, safe location, a single-story building, and a popular venue. We hold a traditional worship service. Most of the congregation is elderly. We deeply appreciate everything they have done for the church and the congregation, so we continue to serve them in the way they prefer.’
‘If there is a strong government in the USA that will help Latin America fight against drugs and terrorism, that’s all we need,’ Venezuelan opposition figure Alejandro Peña Esclusa, who spent one year in Chávez’s prison and is now still in exile, told Hungarian Conservative. He talked about the new Trump presidency, the influence of the São Paulo Forum, and the socialist experiment in Venezuela.
‘There is an ideological collusion between Ursula von der Leyen and Emmanuel Macron to leave the framework created by the EU treaties…Viktor Orbán is closer to my ideological position than to that of Marine Le Pen,’ President of the French Reconquête party Éric Zemmour talks about the end of the war, the alliances of the right, and Europe’s chances of survival.
‘The world is not what you think it is; there is a dimension to reality that modernity denies, but it’s still there and we have to reconnect with it because our own spiritual and cultural survival depends on it. There was a reason why we got to this place in the West. And if we understand that, we can return to what our ancestors knew to be true.’
‘I didn’t even know where the theology school was. So, I got off at the Üllői Road intersection and walked to the pastoral office at Kálvin Square, where I told the pastor what had happened to me. He responded: “This is extraordinary. The theology school is actually nearby, on Ráday Street. Go there and apply.”’
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.