President of Hungary Discusses Faith and Family at BYU

Hungarian President Katalin Novák met with students and faculty at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, this week to share her insights on faith and family and to learn about the students’ plans for the future.

“The reason why I’m here is because I decided when I took the office — I was elected a year and a half ago — I would like to seize the chance to meet you, the members of …  the generation who can change our future,” President Novák told students at the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies on Tuesday, September 26, 2023.

BYU is part of the Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

President Novák, Hungary’s first woman president and the youngest president to take office, shared her advice and personal insights on the traditional family and faith in God with a large crowd of students at BYU.

“If you have no kids, we have no future, and having children is saving the world,” she said. “If you don’t have future generations, there is no reason in saving our planet.”

She expressed her concern about the low fertility rate in many parts of the world. “For example, in Europe, there is not a single country where the fertility rate reaches two,” she said. “Not a single country reaches the replacement level, and that goes also for all the Western countries or the developed countries of the world.”

Hungary’s constitution promotes traditional marriage between a man and a woman. “We have a constitution which stands for the family values,” President Novák said.

The Hungarian president is the married mother of three children, ages 20, 17 and 15. She spent six years at home with her children when they were young before returning to work.

President Novák believes her family life has taught her skills to become a better leader, including negotiation, flexibility, tolerance and understanding of others.

“I think that family just helps you remain normal, helps you remain down to earth. It helps you understand the everyday struggles as well,” she added.

“Don’t be afraid of having a family. Don’t be afraid of having kids and saying yes to life,” President Novák said. “Don’t be scared that you won’t be able to fulfill your professional dreams.”

She spoke last week at the United Nations in New York City on the roles of women in society and has also met with government and business leaders during her visit to the United States.

Nurturing Faith

President Novák told students that she relies on her Christian faith to help her in her role as a public figure.

“I realized that I’m not alone. Jesus Christ is there with me,” she said. “It is important to find a way to articulate my own personal faith and relation to God.”

The leader said she reads and studies the Bible every day and participates in study groups.

“We sometimes tend to forget how important it is to nurture our faith on a daily basis. And for me, for example, that is a very important part of my life,” she explained.

President Novák also met with BYU President C. Shane Reese while on the Provo campus.

While in #Utah and #SaltLakeCity, I wanted to meet with the leaders of the @Ch_JesusChrist. Thank you for the warm welcome and the inspiring conversation. pic.twitter.com/CEXP9aSVb2

— Katalin Novák (@KatalinNovak_HU) September 27, 2023

In the afternoon, she traveled to Temple Square in Salt Lake City to visit with members of the First Presidency, who presented her with a copy of the Book of Mormon.

Some 5,000 Latter-day Saints in more than 20 congregations reside in Hungary. President Russell M. Nelson announced the Budapest Hungary Temple in the April 2019 general conference.