On September 23, 2024, Bishop César Essayan, Apostolic Vicar of Beirut, bishop of the Roman Catholic faithful in Lebanon, President of the Latin Episcopal Conference of the Arab Legion, was the guest of the Hungarian Parliamentary Prayer Group.
Imre Vejkey greeted the special guest and then shared the daily Gospel with those present. In a short section of Luke's Gospel (Lk 8:16-18), Jesus Christ told his disciples an example about the lamp, which is placed in a place where it illuminates the whole house. The light of the lamp represents the teaching of Christ. According to this, the Lord's teaching cannot remain hidden, but its clarity and truth must be conveyed to everyone. It is Christ himself who brings to people the teaching that is the light of faith and salvation.
The Apostolic Vicar expressed his gratitude for the invitation and then presented the situation of Christianity in Lebanon. As he said, the church continues to help the needy and the wounded by collecting and distributing donations. They have already succeeded in maintaining hospitals and providing assistance in the restoration of residential buildings. The Bishop highlighted the importance of education, which was also connected to the daily Gospel. As he said, the Catholic Church has an important role in the organization of education, in some settlements - due to the poor economic situation - they only run schools. In his personal stories, he highlighted in several cases the divine providence with which the Lord enabled the local Christian community to continue to operate even in the extremely difficult economic situation.
At the end of the meeting, the Bishop asked for God's blessing on those present and on the Hungarian Parliamentary Prayer Group and its work.