President Visits Troubled Hungarian Scientific Institution’s Roman Branch
President Tamás Sulyok and his wife recently paid a visit to the Collegium Hungaricum in Rome, also known as the Hungarian Academy in Rome. This visit took place during their tour of the Italian capital, where they also met with Pope Francis and Grand Master Fra’ John Dunlap. The Hungarian Head of State took the opportunity to commend the work of the Order of Malta, especially highlighting the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta as the largest social institution in Hungary.
During their visit to the Collegium Hungaricum in Rome, President Sulyok and his wife were able to experience firsthand the preservation of Hungarian culture that has been carried out by the institution since 1927. The academy serves as a hub for promoting Hungarian culture and humanities in Italy through various activities such as concerts, exhibitions, book presentations, readings, conferences, and round tables. Additionally, the academy supports Hungarian researchers and scholarship holders studying in Italy.
The Collegium Hungaricum in Rome operates smoothly and continuously, unlike its sister institution in Berlin, which faced an attack at the end of January this year by suspected far-left extremists. The Berlin branch, also founded and operated by the Hungarian state, was vandalized with graffiti and broken windows by the perpetrators.
The attack on the Hungarian Academy in Berlin was linked to a domestic criminal case involving German and Italian far-left figures in connection with the Budapest Antifa attacks of February 2023. During these attacks, a group of violent Antifa individuals targeted individuals they believed to be part of a radical right-wing group, resulting in injuries to innocent bystanders and foreign tourists.
Despite these challenges, the Collegium Hungaricum in Rome remains dedicated to its mission of preserving and promoting Hungarian culture in Italy. Through its various activities and support for Hungarian scholars, the academy continues to serve as a beacon of Hungarian heritage in the heart of Rome.
