HIS-Press-Service, 1980 (5. évfolyam, 16-18. szám)

1980-06-01 / 17. szám

Press-Service

Special Topic: Religion and Church in Hungary _____________________________ No, 17 - Vienna, June 1980

THE FACTS ’ 'r /* i2vf° 7')

Pope John Paul Sends a Letter to the Bishops, Priests, Members of Religious Orders, and Laity of Hungary Calling for New Emphasis in Catechetical Instruction

During Easter, Pope John Paul II sent a letter written in Hungarian to all the bishops, priests, members of religious orders, and laity of Hungary's Catholic Church. The Pope began his letter of over 2,000 words by calling to mind previous communication on his part with Hungary's Church. He spoke of the letter he initially sent to Hungary's bishops shortly after his election, the welcoming speech he gave at a special audience during the festivities in connection with the Collegium Germanicum Hungaricum and the Hungarian Papal Institute, and last of all the various meetings with Hungarian bishops and faithful that had taken place within the context of papal audiences.

The Pope then went on to discuss his main purpose for writing the letter, namely pastoral tasks "which are also of primary importance from the standpoint of the life and development of the Hungarian Church," and "the catechetical instruction of the faithful, especially that of children and adolescents." In connection with this, the Pope called to mind two recent papal documents: "Evangelii Nuntiandi" (On Proclaiming the Gospel), which was issued by Pope Paul VI in 1975; the apostolic letter "Catechesi Tradendae" (On the Teaching of Catechism), which he issued himself in 1979; and the teachings of catechism, especially for children and adolescents, issued by the third official session of the Episcopal Synod, which took place in 1977.

Using the most important Church statements as a basis, the Pope referred to the points which, in his opinion, "are especially relevant for Hungary's Church," and called upon all to whom the present letter was addressed - the bishops, priests, members of religious orders, and the faithful - to give serious consideration to the teachings of the Church on catechetical instruction - which he himself was now going to discuss in their application to the conditions existing at present in Hungary's Church.

As an introduction to his ideas on this topic, the Pope recalled the goals of catechetical instruction which, he said, are the same throughout the world, and thus also in Hungary: namely to facilitate an experiential meeting with the