On April 26, 2024, during the 154th parliamentary prayer breakfast, the Hungarian Parliamentary Prayer Group welcomed Greek–Catholic brothers. On behalf of the Hungarian Orthodox Exarchate, His Excellency Paisios Larentzakis, Orthodox Auxiliary Bishop, Bishop of Apameia, visited the Parliament for the second time. His Excellency Homer Mavrommatis, the Cypriot Ambassador and His Excellency Emmanuil Apostolakis, the Greek Ambassador also graced the event with their presence.
Imre Vejkey, leader of the Hungarian Parliamentary Prayer Group, emphasized in connection with the upcoming Orthodox Easter that prayer and common faith in the Lord unites all Christians. Quoting from the Gospel of John (Jn. 14.6) and the events of the Last Supper - when Jesus Christ said: "I am the way, the truth and the life" - he emphasized that the common task of all Christians is to recognize the importance of Christ's blood sacrifice, seeking the truth and protecting the freedom of others. He said that "thinking aloud about holy things and bearing witness to our faith shows a way for others in the sea of straying."
Bishop Paisios stated that the upcoming Easter is the holiest holiday of Christianity, since Jesus Christ defeated death with his resurrection and by following his teachings, He made it possible for us to have eternal life. This is symbolized by the white torch or candle, whose light of Christ – according to Orthodox custom – is shared by the faithful on the occasion of Easter so that it fills the world. Easter is such an important holiday for the Orthodox Church that it is also called the Church of the Resurrection.
The Greek ambassador emphasized the strength of the relationship between Greece and Hungary, and between Western and Eastern Christianity, and praised the work of the Hungarian Parliamentary Prayer Group, assuring it of his support.
The Chair of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Katalin Tóth, referred to the part of the apostle Paul's letter to the Galatians sung by the faithful in the Orthodox Holy Saturday Eucharist. According to this, "all of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." According to the Chair, in order to achieve this, we must strive to get to know our faith more deeply and to strengthen our relationship with the Lord. One of the main goals of the Hungarian Parliamentary Prayer Group is to create communion with the Lord through prayer, through which we can succeed in taking on the spirit of Christ.
Prayer group member Márk Aurél Érszegi urged those present to introduce and share the "light of Christ" with as many people as possible, from which we can draw strength to maintain and continue to build a Europe that was built on Christian foundations.