HIS-Press-Service, 1979 (4. évfolyam, 13-15. szám)
1979-02-01 / 13. szám
HIS Press Service No.13, February 1979 Page 3 awareness of the workings of the Holy Spirit and thankful for each increase in faith their priests "actively seek to implement the goals of Vatican II." The bishops voice the belief that "today, more than ever before, bishops and priests must be united as one heart and one soul; they must constitute an inseparable whole dedicated to serving Our Lord Jesus Christ in His Mystical Body, the Church." 4 In the exercise of their office of head pastor as described in the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, the bishops go on to speak of concrete problems existing in the area of Church teachings, the liturgy, and Church discipline, and ask of the priests the understanding and good will needed to eliminate these differences. The problems mentioned are ones special to Hungary, problems which are at present the concern of Hungary's bishops, priests and laity. The bishops begin by citing the danger that pastoral activity separate itself from the guiding direction of the bishops. In connection with this, the letter mentions a tract, stemming from clerical circles, in which the priests are called upon to show a more radical form of personal initiative; this tract also criticizes the attitude of those responsible for pastoral activity, i.e., the bishops. The bishops then turn their attention to problems which they see as resulting from an insufficient adherence to liturgical regulations. They object to the fact that priests have concelebrated Mass wearing casual clerical or civilian clothing and only a stole in addition, that Masses have been said in private homes without the permission of the bishops, that priests allow the faithful to pray aloud with them the words of consecration, and that girls dressed as altar boys serve at the altar during Mass. These things, the letter continues, are abuses which have filtered in from the West and were thoughtlessly taken up and practiced by some of the priests, though there were again others who, caught up in blind enthusiasm, intentionally introduced these practices. In closing, the bishops point out that disregard for the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of parish pastors or that of the diocesan bishop in cases of such pastoral activities stemming from individual initiatives is contrary to the laws of Church discipline and leads to anarchy - and this to the detriment of the faithful.
