Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints met with the mayor of the Óbuda-Békásmegyer, Mr. László Kiss, in Budapest, on March 1, 2024, to introduce the Church and discuss details of the temple the Church is preparing to build in the municipality.
Elder Brent H. Nielson of the Presidency of the Seventy and Elder Jack N. Gerard of the Seventy, second counselor in the Europe Central Area Presidency, and Péter Borsos, president of the Hungary Budapest Stake also participated in the meeting.
The Budapest Hungary Temple was announced in April 2019 and the location of this house of the Lord was released in October 2023. This will be the first temple of the Church in the country. Currently, members of the Church must travel to Freiberg, Germany, to worship in a temple. An artistic rendering of the Budapest temple has now been released by the Church.
- ElderChristofferson_Obuda01
- ElderChristofferson_Obuda02
- ElderChristofferson_Obuda03
- ElderChristofferson_Obuda04
- ElderChristofferson_Obuda04
- DTC_ObudaMayor06.jpg
- ElderChristofferson_Obuda07
- ElderChristofferson_Obuda08
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
In the meeting, Elder Christofferson explained why Latter-day Saints build temples around the world and shared the enthusiasm of Hungarian church members for having a House of the Lord in their country. Elder Christofferson said that “the mayor was very supportive. He welcomes all religions and faith groups in the community and promised to support the Church’s contribution to the local community.” An invitation to attend the future open house, whenever the temple is built and is ready to be inaugurated, was issued to the mayor.
“Mayor Kiss and his associates provided a warm welcome to Church representatives, and an especially friendly and cordial spirit was prevalent throughout the discussion,” observed President Borsos.
The Church delegation left a small statue of the resurrected Christ with the mayor and thanked him for his gratitude and openness. In return, Mayor Kiss, a man of faith himself, gave a magnificent gift to Elder Christofferson, a 200-year-old icon that has been with his family for generations.
“It is a precious item. It is significant and moving to me to receive something so gracious and generous as this from him. Truly meaningful and something I will treasure and take home with me,” Elder Christofferson concluded.
There are over 5,200 Latter-day Saints in more than 20 congregations in Hungary, a country in central Europe. The first missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ arrived in Hungary in 1885. Missionary efforts ceased for several decades following World War I. The Church received official recognition from the Hungarian government in 1988, and the first meetinghouse in the country was dedicated one year later.
Latter-day Saint temples differ from chapels and meetinghouses, where members gather for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered houses of the Lord where Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through sacred ordinances that unite families for eternity. Inside, members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to serve Jesus Christ and others.