Békásmegyer, Hungary – Power has been restored to the parish and Megbékélés Háza (House of Reconciliation) Temple of the Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship (MET) after a week-long outage, the church announced Tuesday. The disruption, which began last Thursday, left the community without heating and water, as both systems are dependent on electricity. The incident has sparked a political debate, with accusations leveled against the government regarding its involvement in the service disconnection.
The MET, led by Pastor Gábor Iványi, stated that despite having no outstanding electricity debt, the power was cut off. This led to concerns for the welfare of the community and the animals housed on the property, which rely on electrically powered water systems. The restoration of power came after the church secured a new electricity provider, according to church spokesperson Zsófia Vajay.
While power has been restored to the Békásmegyer location, 21 other properties maintained by the MET remain at risk of disconnection. Church staff are actively working to resolve the situation and prevent further disruptions. The incident has drawn attention to the broader challenges faced by the organization and its relationship with Hungarian authorities.
The situation escalated earlier this week when the issue was raised in the Hungarian Parliament. According to reports, a heated exchange occurred between Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and opposition MP Tímea Szabó. Szabó questioned Orbán about the power cut, asking, “Do you think it is Christian behavior to cut off the heating to Gábor Iványi’s church?” Orbán denied responsibility, suggesting Szabó contact the tax authorities. When Szabó asserted that the Prime Minister had orchestrated the disconnection, Orbán vehemently responded, “That is not true, you are lying.” He further stated that Iványi “owes me a lot personally” and he would “never do anything against” him, as reported by Blikk.
Iványi himself, during a February 9th hearing, suggested that tax authorities should focus their investigations on the Karmelita district rather than Dankó Street, where the Oltalom social services organization is located. He believes the power outage was an act of retaliation by MVM (Hungarian Electricity Works) stemming from a 2022 protest at Dankó Street, where supporters formed a human chain to oppose tax authority actions against Oltalom.
The MET is actively seeking solutions to secure the power supply for its remaining properties. The organization’s ability to maintain operations at these locations remains uncertain as negotiations continue. The situation highlights the ongoing tensions between the church and certain elements within the Hungarian government, and the potential for politically motivated actions impacting religious organizations.
The incident underscores the vulnerability of community organizations to disruptions in essential services. As the MET works to resolve the outstanding issues with its remaining properties, the situation will likely remain a point of contention and scrutiny within Hungarian society. Further developments are expected as the church continues its dialogue with energy providers and authorities.
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