Friends of Hungary Founder Baron William de Gelsey Passes Away At 100
Baron William de Gelsey (Báró Gelsey Vilmos) has passed away at the age of 100. One of the founders of the Friends of Hungary Foundation, Baron Gelsey lived a life of achievement, faith, and community service. Among his many undertakings as an economist and banker, he was the chairman of Gedeon Richter’s board of directors, and became a permanent honorary chairman of the company in 2017.
William de Gelsey was born in 1921 in Vienna to Marguerite and Henry de Gelsey. He was a descendent of the Gutmann family, who, after their involvement in spurring Hungary’s transport business during the industrial period, received the status of nobility and the name Gelsey in 1869, as well as the title of barony in 1904.
Several reports and articles were published in the past weeks hinting that the last great design of legendary architect Imre Makovecz, who passed away in 2011, might be realized in Budapest after all, despite former opposition towards the project. Although the design plans of the monumental cathedral were never supported by the Hungarian Catholic Church because it found the construction of the building unnecessary and costly, some say the circulating news in the pro-government media is evidence that the government might be preparing for something on the matter.
The story of the Catholic Cathedral of Makovecz started in 2004 at the time he sent one of his works to the design competition of the XII district local government for a parish church on Apor Vilmos Square. He later reworked these and created the plans for a grandiose cathedral often referred to as the ’Hungarian Sagrada Família.’
Endangered Christmas: Shall We Persevere or Surrender? Miklós Verseghi-Nagy 2020.12.24.
Christmas is a festival of Christian origin, celebrating the birth of Jesus, who is – according to Christians’ faith – the Son of God. While the actual birth day of Jesus is unknown (not only the day but the exact year of his birth is also uncertain), celebrating the event on December 25 (and on the eve preceding that day) is a long-lasting tradition that goes back to the first centuries AD.
In recent centuries, Christmas celebrations embraced secular elements, like the decorated Christmas tree or the exchange of gifts. Thus, it became a festival of universal nature celebrated in many countries worldwide, even those without deep-rooted Christian traditions.
Christmas is a holiday celebrating hope and consolation, which is “demonstrated most clearly in difficult times”, the head of the Hungarian Catholic Church told MTI. According to the Reformed Church’s chief, “we will celebrate Christmas with more modesty and restraint” but “a forced adjustment in our lives” may let us get closer “to discovering the genuine secret of Christmas.” Leader of the Lutheran Church also said that Christmas this year could be ‘restrained but true.’
Hungarian Catholic Church leader Cardinal Péter Erdő said it was “comforting to see that we have been given abilities with which we can fight against new diseases or natural disasters”. Concerning the coronavirus pandemic, he said that