Papers and Documents relating to the Foreign Relations of Hungary, Volume 2, 1921 (Budapest, 1946)
Documents
1921 765 ' tergora diocese, at least until the pertinent financial questions have been settled and until the Holy See has given an opportunity for the Hungarian Government to make known its views on the person to be appointed. 1 We must furthermore emphasize that, according to a recent declaration of the Cardinal Prince Primate, the present administration of the detached portion of the diocese is in no way less important than that of the other dioceses of Upper Hungary, and we would remind the Holy See of the uncommunicative and even evasive attitude of the Czecho-Slovak Government, manifested, in spite of its written promise, in the settlement of the financial claims of the former bishops of Nyitra 2 and Beszterce 3 and of the estates of the bishops of Szepes 4 and Rozsnyó. 5 If the Holy See appointed the apostolic administrator now, before the pertinent financial questions have been settled, the financial interests of the Esztergom bishopric, and together with it of other Hungarian Catholic institutions, would be jeopardized. We are bound to refer frankly on this occasion to the indignation which might be created in Hungarian public opinion if it should get the impression that the Holy See was ready to fulfil the demands of our adversaries to our disadvantage, and this without urgent necessity. , At the same time you should mention to the Cardinal Secretary of State that the clergy in the detached territories of the diocese of Esztergom in their address to the Nuncio at Prague 6 as well as at the assembly of the rural deanery of Párkány, supported the integrity of the Esztergom diocese. For your personal information I add that, according to confidential information obtained from the Prince Primate, the petition mentioned in Mr. Palkovics's letter was submitted to the Czecho-Slovak Government by the Nuncio in Prague in the original, together with the signatures, which resulted in the Czecho-Slovak Government depriving those who had signed of their State subsidies. The clergy is consequently embittered against Mgr. Micara and expressed this openly at one of the assemblies. 7 1 Cf. supra, Doc. No. 705. 5 Bálás. 3 Count Batthyány. 6 Micara. 3 Radnai. Cf. supra, Doc. No. 371. 7 Cf. infra, Doc. No. 769. 4 Párvy.
