‘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…’

What does the flame that was lit again on Holy Saturday represent? What does the ember of consecrated fire protect against? Why do we shake apple trees and keychains when the bells ring again? In this article we look at the traditions and customs of Holy Saturday.

‘There seems to be a disparity in the character of Pilate according to the Gospels and that of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37/38–100 AD). While both portray him as a complex man caught in a difficult role in difficult times, Josephus stipulates that he was cruel, disrespectful…The Gospels paint a different picture of the Roman governor, being a fair judge, to name an attribute.’

A thought-provoking publication has been released by the Committee of National Remembrance titled Resisters 1944–45. This particularly beautiful, richly illustrated volume briefly presents the life stories of 104 resistance members, accompanied by the insightful narration of expert historians.

With processions including tableaux, passion plays drawing on the apocryphal tradition, black masses and a re-enactment of the holy sepulchre, the burial of Jesus and the subsequent vigil were part of the popular liturgy, alongside commemorations of his passion and death on the cross.

Just as before the 2022 parliamentary elections, the European Parliament’s rule of law mission visited Hungary this week. However, there are some crucial differences this time: not a single right-wing political group is represented in Tineke Strik’s delegation, and opposition leader Péter Magyar and his party are now openly and admittedly working against the interests of the Hungarian people.

Just two days after calling for the criminalisation of disinformation, Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar posted a manipulated video of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, attempting to smear him over his stance on Ukraine’s EU membership. It is yet another example of Magyar’s troubled relationship with the truth—one that has surfaced repeatedly, despite his still-nascent political career.