Defending the Unbreakable: Thomas Becket Paved the Way for Hungary’s Saints of Resistance

Thomas Becket defended not only his own rights and those of his church, but also eternal truth, the obligation to obey the law, and the freedom to stand up against the influence of power, said János Áder at the 30th St. Thomas Becket Memorial Ceremony in Esztergom (near Budapest) on Saturday.

Former president János Áder added that as the logic of power explains it, Becket was a loser: King Henry II defeated him when he sent him to his death, but according to moral standards and the logic of history that distributes human justice, Becket was victorious.

Instead of being erased from national memory, St. Thomas of Canterbury gained heavenly and earthly glory.

He became part of our culture, was recorded in the great common history book of humanity, and is still remembered eight and a half centuries later, even in this part of Europe, Áder emphasized.

The politician spoke about how numerous depictions preserve the image of the dramatic moment when, during vespers, four armed men burst into the church, drew their swords, and cut down the high priest praying before the altar.

We Hungarians are familiar with this scene, because the same thing happened under different circumstances, with different actors and different weapons, said Áder.

He recalled the memory of Sára Salkaházi, Gábor Ervin, Vilmos Apor, György Ferenc Vezér, and János Brenner, who were “the 20th-century Hungarian successors of Thomas Becket: people against inhumanity,” said Áder.

He added that they remain irreplaceably important to us, even if today no one needs to defend the dignity of religious communities, the safety of persecuted people, or the free practice of religion with their lives.

He believed that fate no longer asks us such serious questions that require martyrdom as an answer, but it can still ask us: do we know how much the Hungarian and universal freedom they sanctified is worth?

Can we seek the good of others and the good of the community without hoping for success and glory? Do we treat our neighbors as we would like them to treat us?” Áder asked.

At the end of his speech, quoting Vilmos Apor, he said, “A strong, great character knows when and on what occasions to show their true colors, and when to stand up for important and great things, even if the whole world is angry with them.”

The cornerstone of European integration was laid by Christian Democratic or Christian politicians, but today’s leaders of the European Union not only fail to understand the common Christian foundations, but seem to be striving to eliminate them, said the prime minister’s political director, Balázs Orbán.

There is a series of doctrines that claim that the family, the nation, and all natural communities are replaceable frameworks. Ultimately, populations that cling too tightly to their traditions are also replaceable, added the political director.

While the founding fathers created peace, their descendants today are working on war projects that undermine Europe’s vision for the future and treat the European people as a means to an end,”

said Balázs Orbán.

“Hungary is a living example that adherence to Christian civilization and Christian social teaching is not only possible in Europe, but is also the key to success,” he said.

The politician emphasized that the Hungarian government was the first to speak out against illegal migration almost immediately because it recognized that the influx into Europe would rewrite the cultural map of the continent and create tension within societies.

We have built a family-based society that is unique in the Western world. We spend more than five percent of the country’s GDP on family support, which has resulted in 200,000 more children being born between 2010 and 2015 than if we had not done so, the politician said.

Balázs Orbán stated that Christian social teaching is also reflected in economic policy when building a work-based society and putting an end to global corporations making profits that deprive the Hungarian people of the opportunity to advance.

He added that the government had come under heavy attack in Europe for standing up for Christian values, but nothing had been as controversial as its stance on peace.

He believed that the issue of war affected all other issues, because if war could not be avoided, then all other causes would become meaningless.

“If the supporters of war come to power in the country, then no one will say no to other issues of Christian civilization. The national, Christian-committed Hungarian government is the only sure choice, the guarantee that we will remain on the path of Christian civilization that we have set out on,” said Balázs Orbán.

Via MTI; Featured image: MTI/Kocsis Zoltán

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