Mr. Fekete Péter, general director of the Hungarian State Circus (MACIVA), announced to the Board of Directors of the Fédération Mondiale du Cirque that Hungary has placed circus arts, with its traditions, on its national list of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).

The official ceremony takes place on the 16th of September.

Hungary became the second country in Europe, and indeed in the world, to reach this highly important objective.

Warm congratulations to all of you who made this possible!

MACIVA took the lead and worked hard involving all circus related organizations and in close cooperation with the UNESCO office in Budapest.

A working group of 5 people dedicated months of labor to prepare the application to UNESCO which was finally approved as a clear sign of appreciation of circus arts in Hungary.

The Hungarian story is an example to be followed by other countries!

FMC continues to work on its UNESCO project to reach the acceptance of circus arts on the international ICH list.

We invite representatives of countries working on this to contact FMC and to make use of our accumulated experience and knowledge we can offer.

Vatican City, 16.06. 2016

During the Jubilee year of Mercy, in a festive audience Pope Francis greeted the representatives of circus organizations, among them the delegation of the Fédération Mondiale du Cirque, circuses, artists, street performers, employees of amusement parks and fairs from all over the world. Addressing the circus and travelling people the Pope said: " you are champions of beauty...you are artisans of festivities, wonder and beauty. And with these qualities you enrich all world society, even with the aim of nurturing sentiments of hope and confidence. You do it through performances that have the ability to elevate the soul, to fascinate with the wonder of beauty and to offer opportunities for healthy entertainment."

Pope Francis enjoyed a short circus performance. At the end a young panther cub and a six months- old tiger appeared on stage, approaching the Pope, who stood up and touched the cat. This sign of appreciation of wild animals as an integral part of the shows is a powerful support for traditional circuses.

The event was supported by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.