Egyptian Jesuit monk P. Henri Boulad S.J. has become a Hungarian citizen, it has been announced.
Father Boulad took the oath of Hungarian citizenship in the Parliament Building in Budapest on Thursday.
Father Boulad asked to be allowed to take on Hungarian citizenship because he agrees with the Hungarian government’s efforts to protect Christians and Christian values, in Hungary and around the world.
Boulad was born in Alexandria in 1931. His father was Syrian, his mother was Italian, and the family were Catholics who spoke French as a first language. He entered the Jesuit Order in 1950 and was ordained as a priest in 1963 in Beirut, Lebanon.
At the oath-taking ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén said that “Hungary has been a Christian country for over a thousand years and the new Hungarian Constitution places great emphasis on Christian values”.
“Similarly to universal Christianity, the Hungarian people also received the faith and the gospel from the east, and is aware of its duty to eastern Christians now that they are in a difficult position," he added.
Hungary is extremely proud to welcome Father Boulad who was described as a theologian and world famous professor, who is considered a great authority.
“It is a great honor for Hungary and for the government to share with Father Boulad the bond of citizenship and of the heritage of St. Stephen," the deputy prime minister said.