Following the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Tilak Marapana, Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs visited Hungary between 12–16 June.
András Veres, Bishop of Győr and President of the HCBC met the Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs in Budapest on 14 June, Friday. The Minister thanked Hungary and the Hungarian Catholic Church for their compassion and support provided for the victims’ families and everyone in need after the terrorist attack on Easter Sunday. The Asian country appreciates the moral and financial support.
The terrorist attack in Sri Lanka in the morning of 21 April, Easter Sunday specifically targeted Christians. Around 7% of the country’s population is Christian, most of them are Catholics.
The Hungarian government offered humanitarian aid in the amount of HUF 20 million. From this, the State Secretariat responsible for the Aid of Persecuted Christians and the Hungary Helps Program provided HUF 9 million. This amount is complemented with a HUF 11 million urgent aid based on the decision of Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which will be transferred to Sri Lanka with the help of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
The Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference will deliver this contribution together with the amount collected from its own donation campaign.
Budapest, 14 June 2019
Secretariat
of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference
