Debrecen4U
December 17, 2025
The Bethlehem flame has arrived in Debrecen
The flame, brought from Vienna to Debrecen by the scouts of the 43rd Phoenix Scout Troop, was lit from the eternal flame of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Everyone could take the flame home from the Advent Soul Garden on December 16, 2025.
Following the arrival of the flame, Deputy Mayor István Puskás spoke about how the forces of darkness repeatedly attempt to extinguish the light shining in the world and for darkness to reign, but this tiny candle is our hope that the power of light cannot be defeated.
As he said, the celebration of Christmas brings us this certainty as well, but it is not enough merely to hope and trust—we must also act to ensure that this fragile little flame continues to burn.
Kocsis Fülöp, Archbishop‑Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Hajdúdorog, recalled the thoughts he had shared at the first candle‑lighting of this year, saying that “Glory to God in the highest is the same as peace on earth in human hearts.” He emphasized that just as God’s glory is unchangeable and unshakable, so too is peace in the human heart. “Peace cannot be taken away from the human heart, from the heart of a person of goodwill. Peace is not something to be created, but something to be discovered,” he underlined.
Károly Fekete, Bishop of the Trans-Tisza Reformed Church District, pointed out that while one can enter the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem through a large gate, in order to reach the cave church in Bethlehem, one must pass through a very small door and bow down. “The gate of bowing leads us to the eternal candles, to the place where our Lord Jesus Christ was born. These flames were brought from there, and we must receive them with a bowing spirit,” he highlighted.
Zoltán Krakomperger, Vicar General of the Diocese of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza, spoke about how the peace flame is a sacred symbol with deep meaning, symbolizing our Lord, Jesus Christ, who is our peace and reconciliation.
Barnabás Sipos, parish priest of the Hungarian Orthodox Holy Trinity Parish in Debrecen, said on Sunday that he advised his faithful to stick even more to our festive rituals and traditions around Christmas. “Christmas will come without candles, it will come without Bethlehem, it will come without a Christmas tree, it will come without caroling—but we long for something a little more,” he remarked, recalling the more than two‑thousand‑year‑old story of the birth of Jesus, when wise men, kings, and shepherds set out because they wanted to witness the coming of the Messiah.
When the fourth candle of the Advent wreath is lit, it is a tradition that everyone in Debrecen is given a small candle lit from the flame of Bethlehem so that the message of God’s love and peace can reach as many families as possible. The transmitted flame, the flame of peace, also symbolizes that, just like the flame, peace must be transmitted from person to person.
The 43rd Főnix Scout Troop and the choir of Szent József Primary School participated in the torch relay.
Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu
