On the eve of Reformation Day we are publishing the last instalment of our eight-part series on how the garments worn by Calvinist pastors evolved over the past five hundred years. Part VIII looks at the types of garments worn by Protestant ministers between the interwar period and the present day.
An in-depth interview with Zsolt Molnár, who emigrated from Transylvania, Romania to the United States, where he ran a successful business until a tragic accident happened. He fell from a roof and broke his spine, after which he had to find a new occupation: he ended up taking over the Bocskai Radio in Cleveland, Ohio, which he turned into a radio station for the local Hungarian community.
‘The diaspora mentality finds the meaning of Hungarian identity in the traditional folk values and advocates these throughout the world. It doesn’t isolate itself either from the world or from present-day Hungary but nurtures contacts with both; builds and maintains relationships everywhere. The idea of a “borderless homeland” means “Wherever there is a Hungarian, there is Hungary.”’
‘Coming up with an authoritative definition of conservatism is not an end in itself so much as a sort of ritualistic pursuit, which we perform expecting some change from it along the lines of a deeper understanding of our past, our present, and the mysteries of the human species and the world. There are any number of ways in which the history of conservative thought could be written, if only as a story of the attempts at grasping the very notion of conservatism.’
An in-depth interview with Zoltán Vass, son of a Transylvanian minister, who emigrated from Transylvania, Romania to America, initially to New York, then Hollywood, ultimately settling in Toronto 29 years ago as the minister of the First Hungarian Reformed Church. He also serves on the Board of the Hungarian Diaspora Council.
According to on-site reporting by Euronews.com, the abandoned farm house that used to be occupied by migrants near Horgos (Horgoš), Serbia, just 1.5 miles from the Hungarian border, has been completely cleared by local law enforcement. A local resident recalled that there had been an increase in crime in the area while the migrants were present.
An in-depth interview with Franciscan Friar Barnabás G. Kiss, Pastor of the Hungarian Parish in Detroit, who has been serving in the U.S. for 40 years. While trying to keep various church communities alive in the Great Lakes region, he also strives to keep the Hungarian priests in the North American diaspora together and advocate their cause.
‘Hungary gave Western Europe time to prepare itself economically and militarily for centuries of struggle with the Turks. It is true, however, that Hungary projected the false impression that it alone could hold back the Turkish advance, which proved to be a tragic mistake. One thing is certain: the European public had much to be grateful for to the Hungarian armies of the time for these victories.’
‘Being Hungarian is a spiritual quality. If someone is Hungarian, they are Hungarian first and foremost, and they start to argue only after that—of course, in Hungarian. If we do not have a common value or a common means of communication, what are we talking about at all?’
On Wednesday Viktor Orbán presented the priorities of the Hungarian EU Presidency to the plenary in Strasbourg; however, instead of addressing the pressing challenges facing Europe, MEPs—led by Ursula von der Leyen—seized the opportunity to launch a personal political attack on the Hungarian Prime Minister, demonstrating that the left-wing majority does not allow for a professional debate.
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.
