Magyar Egyház, 1991 (70. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1991-01-01 / 1. szám
10. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ MAGYAR EGYHÁZÜGYI ÁLLAMTITKÁROK LÁTOGATÁSA GENFBEN A magyar kormány egyházi ügyek intézésével megbízott két államtitkára, Pálos Miklós és Lukács Miklós az elmúlt év novemberében látogatást tettek Genf ben az Egyházak Világtanácsa, az Európai Egyházak Konferenciája, a Református Egyházak Világszövetsége és a Luteránus Világszövetség hivatalaiban. A tárgyalások során hangoztatták, hogy a magyarországi egyház és állam viszonyában a „szabad egyház szabad államban” politika az irányadó. Kijelentették, hogy a magyar állam támogatni kívánja az egyházak munkáját, különösképpen figyelembe véve a kommunista uralom megszűnésével előállott változásokat, köztük az egyházak szeretetszolgálatának kiterjedésében. Kijelentették azt is, hogy az új magyar kormányzat „szolgálni kívánja az egyházakat” és nem ellenőrzést gyakorolni. A látogatást a magyar kormány kezdeményezte. A két államtitkárt elkísérte Tóth Károly református püspök, a Magyarországi Egyházak Ökumenikus Tanácsának elnöke. (EPS) SZEMÉLYI VÁLTOZÁS A VATIKÁNBAN Agostino Casaroli bíboros 11 évi szolgálata után mint a Vatikán külügyi államtitkára 76 éves korára való tekintettel lemondott állásáról. Casaroli a Vatikán kelet-európai szakértője és a kelet-európai kommunista kormányokkal való dialógus szóvivője volt. Ismételten járt Magyarországon is. Utóda Angelo Sodano bíboros, 63, 1988 óta Casaroli munkatársa. DR. ANDREW HARSANYI RE-ELECTED BISHOP, STEPHEN SZABÓ ELECTED SYNOD CHIEF ELDER OF THE HUNGARIAN REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA On December 8, 1990 ballots for the office of Bishop and for the office of Chief Elder of the Synod were opened. The terms of office of the present bishop and chief elder having expired the congregations were instructed by the constitution to vote for new office bearers. The congregations re-elected Dr. Andrew Harsanyi — with all but one vote — to serve as Bishop for the next four years. Also for a term of four years Stephen Szabó was elected Chief Elder of the Synod with the majority of votes. Elected, unanimously, for members of the Synod Judicial Commission were the Rt. Rev. D. Dezső Ábrahám, the Rev. Dr. n. Louis Nagy, the Rev. Paul Mező, Elders Bálint Balogh, Dr. Andrew Schilling and Joseph Szarka. Other synod officials will be elected by the General Assembly of the Synod to he held April 13, 1991 in Perth Amboy, NJ. STEPHEN SZABÓ ELECTED CHIEF ELDER OF THE HUNGARIAN REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA Stephen Szabó was born in Hungary (Szerencs, Zemplén County). He completed his studies at the College of Sárospatak, at the Academy of Arts, Theatre and Film and at the Peter Pázmány University of Budapest. He was prosecuted by the Communist Party and the secret police for his leadership role in various church and student organizations. He was arrested and imprisoned. He arrived in the U.S.A. at the end of 1956. He completed his English and Media studies at the Graduate School of Columbia University in New York. In the following decades he worked as a documentary film producer for the United Presbyterian Church in the USA. Later he was employed as Director of Audiovisuals and Director of Conference Center at Rockefeller University and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Presently he is member of the Faculty at Dominican College in Orangeburg, New York. While serving our church in Hungary, he was elected President of the György Rákóczi Christian Youth Association. He also served as writer and reporter for the “Protestant Hour” for Radio Free Europe for about 20 years. He was their expert on Christian youth work and youth movements as well as on the Sunday School Systems in America. Professor Szabó is an Elder and Secretary of the Board of the Hungarian Reformed Church of New York. Since 1981, he has served as a lay preacher at our Cliffside Church in New Jersey. In 1987, he was elected Chief Elder of the New York — Hudson Classes and General Lay Secretary of the Hungarian Reformed Churches of America. Since 1975, he and his wife have been the producers of a Hungarian Program on radio station WRSU-FM, 88.7. Their program is aired every Sunday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. In September 1990, the College of Sárospatak was returned to the Hungarian Reformed Churches. The 459 years old college has financial problems. Here in the U.S.A. a fundraising campaign has been initiated to assist the college. Professor Szabó is one of the founders of the campaign and is a diligent fund-raiser for the great Calvinist College, his Alma Mater. Stephen Szabó married his wife, Eva Nemes, in 1951, in Budapest. They have an adult son who lives in California. Eva is a librarian with the New York Public Library. The Szabos reside in Paramus, New Jersey.
