HIS-Press-Service, 1978 (3. évfolyam, 9-12. szám)
1978-03-01 / 11. szám
HIS Press Service No.11. March 1978 Page 2 the Vatican is of the opinion that the most valuable support it can give the local churches in these countries is that of securing for them the necessary number of bishops needed for the care and direction of the faithful. For its part, the Hungarian State considers it a fundamental principle of its church-political program that the Church first obtain State consent in the appointment of new bishops, in appointment changes among the individual episcopal sees, and in the filling of a number of other important Church posts. This means that for Hungary's Church, Rome can make decisions only after negotiations have taken place with the Hungarian government and agreement has been reached. In 1951, Rome appointed new bishops without prior approval of the Hungarian State. On the basis of Law No.20/1951, which was put into effect in the same year and made retroactive to 1 January 1946, the State agencies prohibited the newly designated bishops from exercising their offices. Law No. 22/1957, and the Government Decree No. 23/1971 which somewhat reduced the impact of the former, contain the present stipulations set by the State concerning the filling of Church positions. That the Hungarian government is consulted in the appointment of bishops still does not mean, however, that the names of the newly appointed bishops were suggested by the State or that they are its "lackeys." Compromises beneficial to one side or the other can, of course, come about; if, however, a person suggested for an appointment is categorically unacceptable to one of the sides, his name is simply dropped from the list and no further discussion on the matter occurs. The appointing of bishops remains the sole right of the Holy See;, the State approval of the person in question is concerned only with the exercising of his office. A new appointment as head of a diocese generally means only that the bishop in question has temporarily been entrusted by the Vatican with the leadership of the diocese. This also holds true for the newly appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Veszprém. The definitive confirmation of the appointment takes place at a later date when the bishop in question has proven his ability to effectively govern the diocese. Curriculum Vitae of Both the Newly Appointed Bishops and Those Entrusted with the Leadership of Another Diocese, Dr.József Bánk was born on 26 January 1911 in Adács (County of Heves, Archdiocese of Eger). Until the third year of junior high school, he attended the high school in Gyöngyös. He completed his remaining years, as a minor seminarian for the Archdiocese of Esztergom, at the Benedictine High School for Boys. His theological studies took place at the Theological Faculty of the Péter Pázmány University in Budapest, where he graduated with honors. After his ordination to the priesthood on 21 June 1936, he studied canon law in Rome at the Appolinare University as a scholarship holder at the Collegium Garmanicum-Hungaricum. He received both his
