View of Saint Peter’s Basilica and Vatican City, Rome, Italy

Vatican II Sixty Years on

Sixty years ago, began the most important event in the history of the Catholic Church in the twentieth century, the twenty-third ecumenical council…It will be the task of a generation to continue, in a rational and balanced way, to implement the teaching of Vatican II, which today is under a great deal of tension.

Sprinkling in the Sóstó Museum Village in Nyíregyháza in 2022.

How Did Our Ancestors Celebrate Easter?

Easter is the most solemn celebration in the Christian world, commemorating the redemptive death on the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In addition to egg-painting and sprinkling water, there are many folk customs and traditions associated with Easter, which you can read below in the collection of Magyar Krónika.

Transylvanian fortified church, 1913

‘The Idea of a Christian Society’

‘Today, we are faced with the fact that in our pluralistic societies, it seems to pose an insurmountable challenge to agree on a generally accepted moral standard, with values that provide common foundations.’

Christ Resurrected by Florentine painter (circa 1560)

Christ Is Risen from the Dead: The Essence of Easter Sunday

‘Easter, just like Christmas, has been trivialized in various parts of the world. There seems to be more attention given to spending time with the Easter bunny or going on an Easter egg hunt, as opposed to going to church to partake of the Paschal mystery. Easter has become inconsequential because the modernist message focuses on pleasure, instead of joy or fulfilment; and the latter can only be arrived at by bearing our daily cross.’

City sign of Birobidzhan, JAO, Russia

Yevreyskaya, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast of the Russian Federation

‘Ideologically, the notion of a Jewish autonomous region resonated deeply with the socialist ethos of equality and collective ownership championed by the Bolsheviks, principles that find resonance in Article 6 of the Russian Constitution. This constitutional provision affirms the socialist ideals of social justice, equal opportunity, and solidarity, serving as a guiding light for the creation of a territory where Jews could exercise their right to self-determination while actively participating in the collective endeavour of building socialism.’

Engraving of the First Vatican Council held in Saint Peter's Basilica during the papacy of Pius IX in 1869.

Why Is Conservatism Potentially Dangerous to Christianity?

‘Many Christians who hold modernity culpable for the demise of the church and dispersion of the Christian flock join forces with political conservatism, seeing in it their natural political ally and representative, while conservative politicians look upon these groups—and many of their institutional leaders, bishops, evangelists, theologians—as reliable, strong, and loyal supporters.’

Júlia Szendrey (Sára Mosolygó) and her husband, Sándor Petőfi (Nándor Berettyán) on the evening of 15 March, the first day of the 1848–1848 revolution.

‘Now or Never’ — The Ambitious 15 March Epic that Brings the Revolution to Life

The film is a valuable contribution to keeping the spirit and memory of the 1848 revolution and freedom fight alive by transforming distant historical figures into flesh and blood people in a credible and compelling way. It deserves merit also because, in a brave move, it attributes a prominent role in the events to Júlia Szendrey, Petőfi’s wife, paying tribute to this tragic-fated woman who became a renowned poet, writer and translator in her later life.