The leaders of the various Hungarian churches decided not to ring the bells of their churches on the anniversary of the Treaty of Trianon. The Hungarian government requested that church bells in Hungary be rung for exactly one minute for the 93rd anniversary of Trianon. Apparently, the various church leaders rejected the request saying that the church bells could only be rung for liturgical occasions (mass, church gatherings etc). The stance by the church leaders was conveyed in a letter.
The government has asked the Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed churches in Hungary to ring their bells. These three churches are the main Christian churches in Hungary. It has been reported that many local churches in the country rang their bells anyway in defiance of their own church leaders. It is incredibly regretful that the church leaders took this position. Trianon not only affected secular Hungary but the religious side as well. Many Protestant Hungarians (Reformed, Lutheran) are now in Romania due to Trianon.
Every day at noon in Hungary and Europe, church bells are rang in commemoration of the Hungarian victory over the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Nándorfehérvár (Belgrade) in 1456. This commemoration of bell ringing in Europe has been going on for centuries. The Pope at the time of this significant Christian military victory, actually requested that all Catholic churches in Europe ring their bells. Due to this fact, it is incredible that the Hungarian churches would refuse to ring the bells for the Trianon anniversary. Trianon was a great injustice on Hungary and the Hungarian people, for this reason the church leaders should have ordered their bells to ring.
István
