A cross for Budapest's Liberty Statue?
The Hungarian government has presented a proposal to place a large cross at the base of the Liberty Statue on top of Gellért Hill in Budapest. The statue is visible from almost every location in the city and one of its most prominent landmarks. Commentators' views on the proposal diverge.
Christianity as an empty slogan
The Orbán regime wants to appropriate Budapest's famous landmark, says Népszava:
“We should bear in mind that the statue embodies an ancient Roman mythological (and therefore pagan) figure. ... It would be an insult to the Christian faith to place a cross at its feet - below it. But someone must have thought that the current political regime - which sees the defence of Christianity as an ideological slogan and as political business and has turned this into a crusade - could do with a cross, even one without any real message. Or perhaps the message is: this too now belongs to us.”
The right symbol in the right place
For the pro-government Mandiner the cross symbolises more than a religion:
“Because of the thousand-year history of Christianity in the Carpathian Basin, no other symbol could be placed above the capital. ... It's not just a religious but also a national symbol. It can be found on the flags of all Scandinavian countries, among others. It's an old game of the atheists to make a big fuss every time they believe that Christianity is gaining ground. But the sign of the cross stands for the universe. It applies to everyone. Because Christianity is not just a culture, but an explanation of the world: its origin, its meaning, life, man.”
Not worth further conflicts
Hungarian society is already divided enough without this, Jesuit monk and Catholic priest József Hofher comments in Szemlélek:
“My impression is that the citizens are already weary enough. They don't want to get involved in another conflict. ... Wars and conflicts can also be fought without weapons. ... I don't doubt the good intentions of the initiator of this idea. What I lament is that it will generate new disputes in society and only widen the rifts.”