On the initiative of the Ludovika Research Group for Religious and Ethic an agreement of cooperation has been made between the Faculty of Military Science and Officer Training of the National University of Public Service (NUPS) and the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of Leuven. This university has the double honour of being the oldest higher education institution in the Low Countries, as well as the most ancient, still functioning Catholic university in the world, with 14 faculties, offering programmes at 62 undergraduate and 104 postgraduate courses.
The cooperation is currently an opportunity for students and instructors doing research in religion, ethics and security. However, in the future, it is our intention to broaden this cooperation to encompass law and political science, as well as other fields of social sciences. Dr. Lóránd Ujházi, leader of the research group, considers the signing of the cooperational agreement an important milestone, as research in religion and security has only just begun in Hungary. At the Catholic University of Leuven, research in religious-ethical issues has been conducted for decades.
The Hungarian research group is taking a more active role in this field: they publish scientific articles and papers as well as books, edit the annual report on Christian persecution, organise national and international conferences and facilitate the start of the Radicalism, Religious Extremism or Religion and Extremism postgraduate programme at NUPS.
Dr. Lóránd Ujházi says that the cooperation is a great opportunity, as from September this year, a Hungarian doctoral student will have the chance to research and study in the Flemish city and joint conferences can be held together with the Catholic University of Leuven. “It is a new bridge for us: one, that can open up the possibility to establish international contacts with new partners” – says the leader of the research group.
Maj. Gen. Prof. Dr. József Padányi, Vice-Rector for Science at NUPS, Brig. Gen. Dr. Árpád Pohl, Dean of the Faculty, Professor Bénédicte Lemmelijn, Vice-Dean of International Affairs at the Leuven Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, Professor Johan Verstraeten, expert in social ethics, and István Csonta, director of the Hungarian Jesuit College in Leuven as well as our staff have all played an important role in establishing the cooperation.