1987. augusztus (98-100. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2

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cannot be rejected or denounced... The Vatican TC-'urrcil declared that conscientious objection is morally right... what’s more, this very statement represented the most decisive and Progressive element of the Council’s teachings. If the Council considered conscientious objection to be morally wrong, it would nőt praise those who undertake hea-vy punishment fór disobeying orders and would nőt demand that the, law should treat conscientious objectors humanely. Oonsidering a^Ll this, it is obvious that 'he. Declaration is contradictory" to the teachings ot the Council?

Purthermore, the Declaration mentions that the episcopate have been criticised fór nőt caring fór conscientious objectors. Now, in the light of the Declaration this criticism seems to be even more justified, since the Declaration itself has made the fate of conscientious objectors even worse. Until it had been published \, , >

conscientious objectors could quote the Council’s authority^against who se teachings prosecutors and.judges could nőt argue on the baás of the extract read in the f>ourtroom8 ]Ehey only neglected them, which they could easily do since Cardinal lékai had preached 3 üst the opposite at the Council’s teachings' in the Hungárián cathedraIs and in the press. After this- interpretation this Declarationx has given to the Council’s teachings, it will carry even less weight when our brothers in chains quote the Vatican Council’s authority on their behalf. The first fruits of the Declaration have already . ripened: simultaneously with its publication two more of our Catholic brothers were sentenced to prison fór conscientious objection, and both have to serve their sentences nőt in prison bút in the more severe "penitentiary”. József Péllér Jun., fór refusing to do his 18-months military service was sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment, yvhile Imre Szálai, refusing to do his 6-months service was sentenced to a 24 months term. In the former juaiciai practice a prison sentence twice as lohg as the length of the military service used to be regarded as quite severe, and a prison sentence four times as long as the time of military service was unprecedented up till now.

'.Ve are beginning to wish fór those happy old times when our bishops still did nat care fór us, conscientious objectors!

The Declaration claims that it is based on the teachings of the Catholic Church. We have here lying in front of us the declarations of the episcopates of several other eountries /including Ireland, the Netherlands/. West^Germany, the U.S., East Germany, etc/, yftiich. they have published recenüy , and all of v/hich contradict the Declaration of the Hungárián Catholic episcopate. To pro ve this, we have to quote only the declaration of the episcopate of the DDR - a country belonging to the Eastern bloc$f: ,!We v/ant to express our respect fór those who, on the grounds of their religious convictions, I

refuse to do their military service.” In the light of the Declaration of the East Germán Catholic episcopate every^ic :can see that the I

Hungárián Declaration is contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church. This Declaration wants to deprive people of their humán right nőt to kill, although ever Lenin himself, on (Jtonuarx)Xj^i919 I

that is, in the most decisive days of the Russian revolution, gave this right to those who refused to do military service on the basis I

of their religious convictions. The Declaration, 70 years later, tries to justify the existence of the institution of the military, although I

today all the great' thinkers of the humán race agree that^i-t -is only I

hy rpjecting force that manki»d can e'scape the final cai^astrophe fl

__________of a global war.