The István Barankovics Foundation was established by the Kereszténydemokrata Néppárt in 2006.
In Hungary, similar to western democracies, the parties with parliamentary representation receive budget subsidies for their respective foundation. The task of these party foundations is mostly to build the political hinterland and rally supporters. Just as the operation, organisational structure, style and objectives of Kereszténydemokrata Néppárt deviate as a single ideological party from its political rivals, the Barankovics Foundation plays an entirely different role than the other party foundations.
During the forty years preceding the political changes, an anti-church spirit degrading the communities, disintegrating human relations and destroying basic values prevailed, and now the last six years have evoked the times before the turning point in 1990 ever more openly. The current trend of relativising values can result in inestimable consequences. The heavy heritage of the past and the developments of the present all compel the István Barankovics Foundation representing Christian Democratic-Christian Social ideas to try to put an end to this destruction with all possible means and instruments.
In the years of dictatorship the covering up of facts, their deliberate distortion, the falsification of history and censorship had prevented the people from the opportunity to learn the truth. These four decades have bleached the souls; the prohibition of practising faith, the continual discreditation of the church, the obvious flood of lies of the regime have sort of put immorality on the pedestal. The long awaited democracy, the political changes full of absurdities have further continued to deteriorate the less than favourable situation, and the commercial media degrading public taste to lower and lower levels by offering cheap entertainment, the ongoing cut of subsidies for culture and scientific research, the politically biased distribution of scarce resources prevent and have prevented the birth of valuable, truth finding works carrying moral messages and reaching their destination, and the prospering of scientific life and moral cleansing.
The eternal values passed on by the István Barankovics Foundation are laid on solid fundaments; it advances sometimes with smaller, sometimes with bigger steps in order to achieve its aims: the dissemination of the European Christian Democratic and Christian Social ideas, the development of political culture in accordance with the intention of the founder and the service of public benefit in the sign of national commitment and Christian Democratic ideas.
The financial resources for this spiritual orientation are covered by the subsidies appropriated by the budget law for the Foundation of the Kereszténydemokrata Néppárt, and occasionally private donations widen its opportunities. The Foundation has signed a cooperation framework agreement with the Konrad Adeanauer and Hanns-Seidel Foundations that we owe sincere respect and gratitude for their selfless help.
The Foundation spends the available financial and intellectual resources on creating up-to-date education, scientific, dissemination works and programmes, holding and supporting presentations and conferences, publishing and supporting the publication of studies, special books, newspapers and other publications promoting the objectives of the Foundation, organising and supporting cultural events, fostering the creation of literary works, supporting youth organisations of Christian Democratic spirituality, and transferring political, historical, social and economic knowledge to elevate the level of political culture.
The events hosted by the István Barankovics Foundation reflect Christian values in their core view, and whose most important guarantee lies in the careful selection of the performing staff; the members of the Board of Curators are recruited from the ranks of the most outstanding theoretical and practical experts of the higher education and scholarly institutions. In addition to the above list, professional workshops are conducted within the Foundation to look for answers to Hungarian national fate issues, and the most pressing problems of this country. The operation of the István Barankovics Foundation established in 2006 is not without any pre-history as KDNP set out similar aims when it established a foundation under this name in 1990; however, its operation was frustrated between 1996–2002. The Barankovics Academy Foundation undertook the dissemination of the values of the gospel between 1996–2006. Nearly 100 weekend courses and various academic events and numerous books published attest the effectiveness of the Barankovics Academy and publishing programme. In addition to the Christian Democratic spirituality, these three Foundations were related by the late honorary chairman Zoltán Kovács K. and the spirituality of the representatives of the former Demokrata Néppárt.
