On or outside the list

New Church law approved by hungarian parliament on 12 July this year has caused quite a stir in political and social life of the country. Law reducing current 358 churches and religious communities recognized by the state down to 14 (Catholic church remaining among them with 54,5 % of inhabitants) is to enter into force on 1 January 2012. The aim of the legislation strongly supported by the party of current prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, is to stop expansion of associations that have benefited from public financial support under the mask of religious communities since the fall of the communist regime. Religious communities not approved by the new law can apply for registration additionally, with positive result requiring approval of two thirds of members of parliament and several other conditions – they must declare their faith and religious acitivities, present proof of at least twenty years of operation and specify regulations on their structure and functioning. An amendment to the bill submitted by the parliament´s constitutional affairs committee just before the final vote removed the criteria concerning the need of at least a thousand people for establishing a church. The protest. The law was passed with 254 votes against 43, provoking series of protest and reactions, starting by 16 small churches in Hungary that are going to lose their official recognition. They have recently appealed to the Constitutional Court, raising objection that the new legislation doesn´t guarantee the separation of church and state, violates the basic principle of free practice of religion customary in a state governed by the rule of law and provides no recourse to legal remedies. The churches have sent a letter to president Pál Schmitt, prime minister Viktor Orbán, speaker László Kövér and all parliamentary parties. With an open claim to revalue the new legislation, also 15 signatories – among them writers, intellectuals, politicians including Gábor Demszky, Miklós Haraszti and Ferenc Koszeg – ask „to take resolute action in defence of freedom of religion and other fundamental liberties that are presently in great danger in Hungary”. The letter said that the new church law deprives many religious communities of their church status, many of which are playing a key role in providing services to the homeless, the elderly, the Roma and other disadvantaged groups representing tens of thousands of people. Zoltán Kovács, the state secretary in charge of government communications, responded with a statement saying that the new church law recognises „the individual´s unalienable right to choose and practice a religion” while the state has selected 14 churches to receive special grants for their humanitarian, educational and welfare roles.Out of the list. The head of the Hungarian Methodist Church István Csernák said that his community – a hundred-year-old organisation – was „shocked” to learn that it had been omitted from the list of 14 churches approved by the new law, although admitting that the change of legislation is „important and necessary” to filter out „business-based” organisations. Zoltán Bolek, head of the Hungarian Islamic Community, said that they had been „dismayed” to learn that they have not appeared on the new list, but ackonwledged parliament´s decision. Leader of the Buddhist Karma-Kagyupa Community Zsolt Balog declared his organisation was fully compatible with the requirements and it would submit its application for additional registration. According to the state secretary in charge of church issues László Szászfalvi the above mentioned churches and several other could apply for official church status during parliament´s autumn session. So far the Hungarian Anglican, Methodist, Pentecostal and Seventh-Day Adventist churches, as well as two Islamic congregations, the Buddhists and some other parties have indicated they wished to be officially registered as churches. Their applications are to be submitted to the Ministry of Justice and then passed on to the parliament for a decision. Szászfalvi promised that his secretariat would ensure „the least bureaucracy and the utmost speed” in the registration process. He also said that the government would guarantee that religious organisations running social institutions or schools, but that are not considered churches under the new church law, would continue to receive funding per capita from the central state budget in 2011 and 2012. Details of financing are yet to be settled.