ROLE OF FAITH - KEY ISSUE

BUDAPEST, NOVEMBER 26 /SRNA/ – SNSD President Milorad Dodik has said today in Budapest that the key issue is uniting around faith, noting that the Serbian Orthodox Church has historically endured great hardships.

Dodik emphasized that the Serbian people were at times divided by various identities, but ultimately it was faith and the Church that brought them together. After meeting with His Eminence, Metropolitan of Budapest Lukijan, he said that the Budapest Eparchy is restoring all of these values. "Through its fundamental role, the Budapest Eparchy unites the Serbian community and maintains excellent relations with local authorities and the state of Hungary, which has significantly supported the reconstruction of certain facilities and remains actively involved. This is why it is important for us from Republika Srpska to make additional efforts, bringing more love, commitment, will, and desire to ensure that our community is recognized and stable," Dodik told reporters. He announced that a kindergarten will also be built within the Budapest Eparchy, a project supported by Republika Srpska. According to him, the position of the Serbian community and the Church in Hungary today is strong compared to previous times. He also pointed out that the Serbian community can now be considered free, and that through its own will and initiative, it has achieved full rehabilitation regarding the Serbian national question and all efforts to build together with Hungary. Republika Srpska Minister for Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education Siniša Karan said that throughout history, the Serbian people have been preserved through faith in the Church. "This is an example of how Republika Srpska, with all gratitude to Hungarian institutions, makes additional efforts to create even better conditions so that more citizens, pupils, and students from Srpska can come here, build families, and strengthen their community," Karan said. He stressed that the Serbian Orthodox Church, faith, and the Serbian people form a single unity surviving through the centuries.