HIS-Press-Service, 1980 (5. évfolyam, 16-18. szám)
1980-11-01 / 18. szám
HIS Press Service No.18, November 1980 Page 4 mother tongue in accordance with the directives issued by Pope Paul VI in 1969 in "Pastoralis migratorum cura...." Many additional efforts are made in the areas of religion and culture in the interests of protecting and promoting tradition-conscious Hungarianism. 120 Hungarian priests work full-time in the pastoral care of Hungarian Catholics living in other countries.-. Their activity is the only existing guarantee and framework for a stable community for Hungary's scattered emigres. Not all of' the Hungarian priests living in other countries are involved in the pastoral care of Hungarians. Most of these priests have integrated themselves into the society of the countries they now live in and serve as parish priests in the local churches of those countries, or are involved in other professions, such as high'school or university teaching, research, specialized work, etc. Many of them have become known for their capabilities and achievements. A total of ca. 800 Hungarian priests who were once diocesan priests of members of religious orders in Hungary now reside in other countries; about 300 of these priests live in Europe. One of the more regrettable aspects connected with the Hungarian emigres - primarily among those who fled in 1945, though also to an extent among those who left their homeland in 1956 - is the presence of tension and disagreement - usually as a result of conflicting political convictions - among the various emigrant groups. This division increased through the stances taken by the various groups toward native Hungarianism and the native Church. Whereas some were interested in offering genuine help to their old homeland and its Church, others - primarily those concerned only with the political aspects of the situation - sharply criticized the submissiveness and willingness of the people who had remained in Hungary to compromise with the Communist regime. These groups seemed to have completely forgotten that those who remained in Hungary were living, and practicing their faith, under conditions which had been forced upon them, and which they were incapable of changing. Little has changed in the views of these groups even today, and thus the tensions between them still remain. Accordingly, though on the one hand it may seem paradoxical, on the other it is perfectly understandable that among certain circles of emigrant Hungarians even the consecration of the Hungarian Chapel, which is intended to be a meeting ground for Hungarians living in other countries and those still in Hungary, should be an object of conflicting opinions. As already mentioned, the history and significance of the chapel are concrete signs of the unity of the Hungarian faithful both in other countries and in Hungary in their allegiance to the Pope, their devotion to Mary,the patron of Hungary, and their love of their country. This, in any case, would be the ideal situation. The chapel is actually both a challenge and a reminder - a reminder to Hungarians who are at odds with one another to remember that the successors of Peter are the champions of unity for Hungarians too. From the time of Silvester II to that of John Paul II, the popes were constantly concerned with the
