Magyar Egyház, 1957 (36. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1957-08-01 / 8-9. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 9 MAGYAR THE UN AND HUNGARY As we go to press the United Nations are discussing the report of a special committee on last year’s Hungarian uprising. The committee found that the spontaneous Hungarian revolt had been suppressed by Soviet troops. Both, the Russian and the Hungarian puppet government denounced the report and through world press propaganda as well as in the U.N. tried to justify the Soviet military intervention as “carrying out their international duties” under a military agreement of the Soviet block, called the Warsaw pact. The U.N. assembly will discuss a resolution backed by the United States of America and other free nations calling for an end to “repressive measures against the Hungarian people.” This resolution also asks for the sending of a statesman of international reputation to Hungary to do everything possible to solve the Hungarian question. Prince Wan of Thailand and president of the U.N. General Assembly is candidate for this position. Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., Chief U.S. delegate to the United Nations was recently asked by a TV-panel of American newsmen as to the wisdom and expediency of the U.N. debate on the Hungarian question. Ambassador Lodge made it clear that one cannot expect that as a result of this debate or of the resolution the Russians will leave Hungary within a few days. He made it also clear, however, that in the interest of the Hungarian people it is of utmost importance to keep the issue alive. He said he believed that in the long pull it should lead to the liberation of Hungary. He also said he was sure the U.S. sponsored resolution would receive the necessary two-third majority in the General Assembly. Thus, this General Assembly of the United Nations will once again be the scene of a battle between powers of moral forces and brutal forces. between the ideas of freedom and slavery. Therefore, the Hungarian question is more than the life-struggle of a small nation. As Christians we believe that God, by His unsearchable decree is using Hungary and its people as a magnificent challenge to the world to choose between heaven or hell on earth. These words must not be misunderstood. We don’t claim that capitalism or the Western World are heaven. But we do believe that brutal force and slavery are leading the world to destruction. And we also believe that the Kingdom of God can only be built if moral forces are governing the world as inspired by God’s own Holy Spirit. UNITED STATES Central Committee at Yale (New Haven, Conn.) — Church leaders from 21 nations concluded the tenth annual meeting of the Central Committee of the World Council of Chinches at Yale Divinity School. More than 70 members or official substitutes on the policy-making Central Committee, whose full strength is 90, were present for the nine-day meeting which began July 30. Actions during a year of serious international tensions were reviewed in opening reports by general secretary Dr. W. A. Wisser’t Hooft and the twelve-member Executive Committee. Both asserted that the past twelve months had been extremely difficult in view of the Suez and Hungarian crises. “I do not believe,” said Dr. Visser’t Hooft, “that in any year since the formation of the World Council of Churches we have been confronted by so many critical situations.” The Executive Committee and Secretary Visser’t Hooft acknowledged the fact that Council statements on the Hungary crisis had been “misrepresented and criticized in the Eastern European and Chinese press and in statements by some Eastern European church leaders.” Dr. Visser’t Hooft said that some of these reports on the Council’s Hungary actions “are such a complete distortion of the facts and also so similar that they have obviously been invented by persons who desire to do harm to the World Council.” The Executive Committee gave its wholehearted approval to the statements on Hungary released by the Council. “The one encouraging aspect of the Hungarian crisis,” the Executive Committee stated, "was the readiness of churches — large and small, rich and poor in almost every part of the world — to help in solving the tremendous problem created by the exodus of the refugees and to give support to the churches in Hungary.” The Central Committee heard reports of the $771,390 given for Hungarian and Eastern European refugees and inter-church aid in response to the World Council appeal last November. To date, it was also reported, $100,000 has been sent into Hungary for grants to 1,600 church workers, motor transport, aid to retired church workers and repairs to institutions. Thirty thousand dollars have been spent for 60 tons of paper to be shipped to Hungary to print 200,000 hymbooks, and $14,000 has gone toward the WCC share of 60 tons of paper to print 100,000 Bibles. In addition, 30 tons of raw cotton are being supplied and the WCC has agreed to pay for its processing inside Hungary. CHURCH
