HIS-Press-Service, 1981 (6. évfolyam, 19-21. szám)

1981-03-01 / 19. szám

HIS Press Service No.19, March 1981

Page 5

more closely, one notices that in relation to the other age groups, the group of those between 50 and 70 years of age is approximately 20% higher within the ranks of the clergy than among lay males of the same age group. This is approximately the same percentage as the clergy lags behind lay males in the group encompassing those between 25- and 40 years of age. The percentage of the 40-50 and the 70-75-year-old priests among the clergy is basically the same as that of these groups among the country's male population at large.

The problem of the agedness of the clergy is in no way a phenomenon unique to Hungary. It is something which affects all of Western culture, nor is Hungary worst off in this regard. In the Archdiocese of Vienna, for example, the average age of the still active members of the clergy is 55.7 years of age, whereas the average age among Hungary's clergy is 52.8 years of age, which is 3 years younger.

Number of Diocesan Seminarians

1972 - 1973

1—1

CO

cr>

1—»

CO

^1

1—»

CO

CO

1

1—»

CO

00

o

1—*

CO

00

o

*—*

CO 00 1—»

Seminary

in Seminary

in Military Service

Total

in Seminary

in Military Service

Total

in Seminary

in Military Service

Total

in Seminary

in Military Service

Total

Central

Seminary

50-50

38

3

41

43-43

35-35

Eger

66

11

77

56

22

78

55

19

74

51

11

62

Esztergom

44-44

34

11

45

31

8

39

33

5

38

Győr

54

26

80

53

16

69

40

18

58

36

16

52

Nyíregyháza

16

6

22

22

10

32

24

7

31

19

15

34

i Szeged

33

3

36

35

9

44

33

6

39

38

8

46

Total of

Diocesan

'

Seminarians

263

46

309

238

71

309

226

58

284

212

55

267

7 of the 13 seminaries which existed in Hungary until then were forced to close in 1952 by the State. As a result, the remaining seminaries function on an interdiocesan basis. Only the Greek Catholic seminary and theological college in Nyíregyháza provides training for all of the country's Greek Catholic seminarians. The Diocese of Hajdúdorog, along with the Exarchate of Miskolc which is attached to it, is responsible for the country's Greek Catholics. Seminarians from all of the country's dioceses are accepted at the Central Seminary in Budapest; these seminarians receive their theological training at the Budapest Theological Academy. Hungary's theology students are not able to complete their course of studies without interruption. During their time of studies, approximately 1/4 of the seminarians must spend 18 months in the armed forces to