The villa of a former communist dictator who heavily persecuted Christians has just been donated to the Church.

In 1956, after soviet tanks crushed the Hungarian uprising, János Kádár came to power and ruled the country for 32 years.

Last week, his plush residence in the hills outside Budapest was given to the Syriac Orthodox Church.

Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, personally handed over the keys to the Syriac Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II who thanked the Hungarian Government for the gift.

It will be used as a Syriac Centre to aid Christians fleeing persecution in the middle East.

The decision was made as part of the Hungary Helps program, which has been providing assistance to Christian communities persecuted for their faith for four years now. The program has funded humanitarian projects in Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon; the renovation of homes damaged in the fighting in these areas; and the maintenance of one orphanage.