On Issues of Our Age, the Church – Cardinal Péter Erdő at the Europe Club

The anthropological changes brought about by the Millennium determine the programs and initiatives of every institution being actively embedded in European society, and the Church is no exception to that, either. People had other expectations when turning to the intelligentsia, the politicians, or the clergy. The ways of information transfer have changed with time; greater importance is dedicated to the exchange of visual and musical information than the transfer of knowledge via conceptual frameworks. People do not focus primarily on long-term philosophical questions but are rather looking for advice on how to achieve their own personal welfare on short-term and in their current situation – said the prelate. The churches, when adapting to these expectations, shall not give up their belief in calling the attention to the moral and long-term goals that retain  the community. Cardinal Péter Erdő, head of the Hungarian Catholic Church, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, one of the leading prelates of  Catholicism internationally, supported his thesis by specific examples taken from every day life in Western Europe, the world outside of Europe, and Hungary.

Opportunities of Minority Politics

Time and space after 1918. The possibilities of minority politics (Tér és idő 1918 után. A kisebbségi politizálás lehetőségei / Prostor i vreme nakon 1918. godine. Mogućnosti manjinske politike) is the title of the recently published book including the presentations of the international academic conference organized on 18 February 2012 on the occasion of the 90^th anniversary of the founding of the first organization on minority policy of the Hungarians in Délvidék called Hungarian Party (Magyar Párt). The presidents of the Hungarian and Serbian sections of the Joint Avademic Commission, the academicians Vojislav Stanovcic and Ferenc Glatz greeted the participants of the conference. You can read the presentation of Ferenc Glatz in the volume under the title  Hungarian political parties in minority (1912-2012)

“Entertainment with Passion” - Stations in a Historian's Life

In connection with this year’s General Assembly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences the Class for History and Philosophy organized a commemorative meeting on the occasion of the 100^th anniversary of the birth of the former President of the HAS, Domokos Kosáry. Ferenc Glatz, the former President of the Academy (1996-2002), held an evocative presentation including personal memories from his fatherly friend’s various stages of life as a historian, while highlighting five important stages. Reviving, thus, how he in 1936 as an eminent student researched the Görgey-question in his doctoral dissertation. Glatz spoke about how in 1948 as being considered a civil democrat Kosáry was aspirant for becoming the doyen of the community of historians; his imprisonment in the course of the retaliations of 1958 directed against intellectuals, when he actively pursued his scholarly work even in retention; his returning to the Institute of History of the HAS in 1968 where he wrote significant monographs and finally about the time when he as ‘past president’ from his devotion to his profession as a historian he ventured in the compilation of bibliographies.

Hungarians and Serbs - Essays on Coexistence, Reconciliation

Edited by academician and historian Ferenc Glatz the volume Hungarians and Serbs. Coexistence, Revealing the Past, Book by Reconciliation has been published. In the introduction of the editor  entitled Uncovering the Past, Reconciliation, Global Competitiveness Glatz writes that the decisive task of historians to mark our present and future is  to rethink the history of 19-20^th century of Europe and eliminate the consequences of the unsuccessful peace treaties that terminated the two world wars. Thus, in line with the South-Eastern enlargement of the European Union he started (2007) and has ever since consistently represented the historical reconciliation program. In addition to the historians’ debate series he put the drafting of strategic plans (for regional rural and transport policies, water and nature management, trade, etc.) on the agenda intended as new platforms for minority policy in the region to be pursued now already on EU-level and which could by means of cooperation approach the technical and economical middle-classes of the region. “The trial of the academic-historian intelligentsia is only to a minor extent rooted in the acknowledgement they receive from their public at present, what really matters is the life and subsistence of future generations…” – the editor concluded in his introduction to the volume. In his study entitled Cohabitation and Future in Europe Ferenc Glatz theorized on the future of a multicultural Europe by taking one of the most diverse regions, the case-study of the conflict-laden South-Eastern Europe as an example.

Drama in Délvidék – Unconventional history book

With the preface of Academician Ferenc Glatz (Drama in Délvidék, the Southern Territories Co-President of the Hungarian-Serbian Joint Academic Commission, the latest book by Lajos Forró and Tibor Molnár was published entitled The tragic human fates from 1994 in the light of partisan documents. The volume focused on Magyarkanizsa presenting, thus, the change of empire in Yugoslavia in the fall of 1944 by accompanying the tragic life of the  victims and reconstructing the mechanism of reporting war criminals upon which the persecution “relied”.

From Huns, Conquest, Szekler Script

The two-dayconference organized by the Research Centre for Humanities of the HAS wished to picture the current state and the future trend of the Hungarian prehistoric research. The discussion round of the history of science section was presided by Academcian Ferenc Glatz.

Russia and the Danube Valley – European Club

Russia and the Danube Valley was the title of the next session of the highly successful series of the European Club held in Europe Institute Budapest. The main lecture was held by Ernő Keskeny, Ministerial Commissioner, Head of the Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia about relationship Russia in Central and Eastern Europe as well as Hungary and the background of the “eastern opening” policy. Zoltán S. Bíró, historian and Russian history expert gave an overview on the relation between the European Union and Russia.

About Wisdom, Fearfulness, Experience – in relation to a life time

Academician Ferenc Glatz, professor emeritus at ELTE, congratulated Professor Lajos Izsák on the occasion of his 70^th birthday  with an essay titled Letter to Lajos Izsák at the day of his birth – written by a friend, a fellow of common fate at the celebration organized by the Eötvös Loránd University. Glatz in his speech spoken in his usual personal tone referred to the following – in addition to the benefits of old age they now both are able to enjoyresponsibleanddutiful vocational life, terminating the rivalry between the institutes that they led, ensuring the students’ and researchers’ free progress, and tolerance towards different historical concepts. The retirement years – meanwhile relieved from the burden of daily tasks and schedules– allow extra time to be spent on the promotion of human relations and of understanding and empathy, due to the experience of a life time, towards present day events. The Rector of Eötvös Loránd University, Barna Mezey, the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Tamás Dezső, and Gábor Erdődy, Vice-Rector and head of the Newand ContemporaryHungarianHistory Department  presented the book of essays published in honor of Professor Izsák. For the essay of Ferenc Glatz published in the volume and entitled Code of Conduct for the States of Central and Eastern European on Minority Politics see here. an essay in it: entitled.

Unresolved Minority Conflicts Hamper the Recognition of Common Interests

The Hungarian and Serbian state presidents plan to pay joint tribute to the southern Hungarian and Serbian victims of World War II in spring. The weekend insert of the Népszabadság (daily newspaper) reviewed the aims and the thoughts of the Hungarian-Serbian Academic Commission and its members. The Commission is led by Academician Ferenc Glatz, Co-Presidentof the joint Commission who had an active part in the organization of the presidential joint tribute. Ferenc Glatz as a committed advocate of the historical reconciliation had explained on several forums that the age-old ethnic conflicts and the unresolved minority conflicts of the present  will continue to inhibit the recognition of the common interest also in the future. The functioning economic policy, the successfully managed regional and rural development, and the long-range water management could be the basis of a real national politics. Ferenc Glatz saw that the leading intellectuals of the Carpathian Basin had broken up or are ready to break up with the obligate conception of the national state of the 1990’s. “But not the politicians who continue to manipulate the centuries-old national grievances in order to gain votes.” The Hungarian, Romanian, Slovak, Serbian politics could not resist the temptation to try to resolve the affairs of the minorities forcefully. It should be understood at last that this could not be done in the past and this will not succeed in future, either.

Ferenc Glatz on the conditions and restraints of historic reconciliation

Academician Ferenc Glatz, Co-President of the Hungarian-Serbian Academic Commission, held a lecture entitled Conditions and constraints of historical reconciliation at the conference Conditions of Hungarian-Serbian Historical Reconciliation, then and now organised in the head office of the Acadeic Commission of Szeged. The historian claimed also at this form that the countries of Southeast Europe could not take advantage of EU-integration, if they do not reach agreement on controversial aspects of history. The past cannot be uncovered “all in a rush”, not only time but also scholarly expertise is needed for the filing of documents that would amount to hundreds of running metres, the comparison of data from local historical collections and cross-country samples with individual memories. Ferenc Glatz called it an indisputable success  that two years after they launched the joint academic Commission there arises a historic opportunity for the reconciliation between the two nations.