The Messenger Of Reconciliation

– The Hungarian chapel in Doberdo sends the message of reconciliation to former opponents and every nation, and commemorates the soldiers who had gone through extreme suffering. It recalls history and makes us draw the conclusions. For the citizens in Hungary it has a special message that this chapel has been renovated as a result of the joint effort of civilians. For the friendly associations, civic organizations serving this noble cause have shown altruism and as we can see, they have achieved their goal. They constitute small islands within Hungarian society, looking beyond their own direct interests. Similarly to the renovation of the chapel, in Hungary, too, there is a need for more islands of this kind – small circles of honour, altruism, and action – and that they find each other – said the President of the Republic at the inauguration ceremony that was also attended by MoD Chief of Defence Staff General László Tömböl, among others.

President László Sólyom also paid a visit to the war memorial on nearby Monte San Michele, then went to the village of Fogliano Redipuglia where he first visited the Italian, then the Austrian-Hungarian military cemetery of the First World War. The construction of the small chapel for prayers inaugurated in Visintini had begun in 1918 by Hungarian troops. But the war had ended and the chapel was left unfinished until recently. Civic organizations – such as the Isonzo Friendly Association and the Defence Forces and Society Friendly Association, among others – have joined forces to save the memorial. After they had obtained the necessary licences, the professionals started the renovation works in October 2008, funded entirely by Széchenyi Scientific Association, with the help of the Foundation for the Town of Újfehértó, paying a tribute to the 27 servicemen of the Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county town who had lost their lives in Doberdo.