Elsewhere: Hungary vs. Europe

Elsewhere

Unlike other Eastern Bloc countries, Hungary did not immediately adopt a new constitution after the fall of communism. On Easter Monday they finally completed the process, voting 262 to 44 in favor.

This important milestone also coincides with the mid-point of their Presidency of the Council of the EU. You might think that fellow European Union member states would be happy for Hungary and congratulating them for their progress. Not so much.

The problem is that Hungary has failed miserably in adopting the rabidly secular, pro-abortion, pro-homosexual mindset of the other countries. The first clue is the opening line of the new constitution: “O Lord, blessed be the Hungarian nation.” How dare they embrace religious values – and in such a blatant manner too.

It gets worse, protecting life from “the moment of conception” and defining marriage as “the conjugal union of a man and a woman.” Intellectuals throughout Europe are understandably outraged.

Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro-Carámbula has written about this development over at LifeSiteNews:

There has been a great deal of discussion about Hungary’s “Easter Constitution,” so nicknamed not only because it passed with a grand majority on this past Easter Monday, April 25, but it may represent a resurrection of values that many thought had all but disappeared from the laws of Europe.

We have to understand the importance of this document, and why so many in Europe are in a panic over its passage. It is a surprising move in a very good direction, representing another step in what many believe is a long and uneven journey back to Hungary’s, and Europe’s, roots. Clearly, however, it marks a departure from the secular liberal ideology that, like a heavy leaden cape, seems to be darkening and weighing down so much of the contemporary world.

The preamble of the constitution starts with the first line of the Hungarian national anthem: “O Lord, blessed be the Hungarian nation,” recalling the Christian roots of this country. It continues to emphasize this theme, stating the unique role played by King St. Stephen in establishing Hungary and acknowledging the role that Christianity has played in her preservation. It is also very interesting to see how this constitution ends: “We, Members of Parliament elected on 25 April 2010, being aware of our responsibility before Man and God and availing ourselves of our power to adopt a constitution, have hereby determined, the first unified Fundamental Law of Hungary as above.”

Would that more contemporary legislators would admit that they have a responsibility towards God!

The most important innovations of this constitution, however, are found in Article 2, which establishes that “the life of the foetus shall be protected from the moment of conception.” This document in the following article III n. 3 also expressly prohibits eugenic practices, as well as the use of the human body or its parts for financial gain and human cloning. The logical consequence of art 2 is that abortion and other crimes against life would at some point be declared illegal and criminalized after this constitution enters into force on January 1, 2012. As this constitution establishes, the government shall submit to the parliament the acts necessary for the implementation of this new fundamental law.

As if to emphasize their seriousness about their newly rediscovered respect for human life at all its stages, the government is already conducting a very effective anti-abortion advertising campaign. Granted, this campaign is born of a need to reverse Hungary’s demographic collapse, but it is good to see sanity beginning to regain a footing in Eastern Europe.

Read the whole article:   The resurrection of Hungary.


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