Sárospataki Füzetek 13. (2009)

2009 / 1. szám - TANULMÁNYOK - Fazekas Csaba: Lajcsák Ferenc nagyváradi püspök és Beöthy Ödön két leválváltása a vegyes házasságokról (1839). Two Exchanges of Letters between Bishop Ferenc Lajcsák and Ödön Beöthy about Mixed Marriages (1839)

Fazekas Csaba

S ezek általában észrevételeim, teljesen hívén, hogy e tárgy nagyméltóságod és közöttem ezennel bevégezve van. Ájtatos könyörgéseibe zárt, mély tisztelettel maradtam

nagyméltóságú fó'lelkipásztor úrnak alázatos engedelmes híve,

Beöthy Ödön m.k.

Újmarján, július 26-án 839.

Summary

Two Exchanges of Letters between Bishop Ferenc Lajcsák and Ödön Beöthy about Mixed Marriages (1839)

This study presents the correspondence from 1839 between Bishop Ferenc Lajcsák (1772-1843) and liberal politician Ödön Beöthy (1796-1854). The debate between the two public figures played an important role in the history of mixed marriages in Hungary which had already raised a great storm all over Europe. In a circular issued on 15 March 1839, the bishop prohibited the catholic priests from blessing those mixed marriages in which the Protestant fiancé had not given a reversalis concerning the catholic education of all his children to be born. The liberal opposition wished to separate state and church, therefore qualified the circular as violating the law. The general assembly of Bihar County, under Beöthy’s leadership, protested sharply against Lajcsák’s action. Thereupon the bishop turned to the politician by letter, which was followed by the latter’s response and another exchange of letters. The letters, reckoned to be substantial summaries of church policy arguments, spread widely at the time; a number of hand-written copies were made; and arguments from them were often quoted by the parties in the debates in the parliament. The Sárospatak Füzetek was the first to publish the letters in Hungarian in 1864; the letters were edited again twenty years later. However, the continuation raised less interest at the time. The present publication of sources contains the differences between the former publications; and the second letter of exchange is published here for the first time. The differences between the copies, in several cases, hide important differences in content.