Sárospataki Füzetek 21. (2017)

2017 / 2. szám - RESEARCH PAPERS-FORSCHUNGSMATERIALIEN - Pándy-Szekeres Dávid: Elements of a triangular relationship: the presbyterian church in canada, ethnic Hungarian congregations of the presbyterian curch in canada and the reformed church of hungary

Dávid Pándy-Szekeres

to school-aged children, gave advice on how to welcome refugee Hungarian children. An advertisement made clear the PCC’s effort to help:

“Appealfor Hungarian Relief: To meet the needs of Hungarian relief, the Board of Administration has granted $5,000. In addition, the Moderator of Assembly, Dr. Finlay

G. Stewart, has called upon the congregations of the church, rich and poor, to take a special offering to help the thousands of Hungarian refugees pouring into Canada.”15 16 17

The March 1957 issue, with five different entries referring to Hungarians, reflected well how the PCC had immersed itself in providing assistance in the refugee situation and how it was even extending a probing look at the causes and consequences of this situation. The Hungarian minister Ferenc Metzger was despatched to Vienna to help better organize the assistance being extended to Protestant refugees.16 17 Two other persons representing the PCC were already working there. One of the articles described the many ways in which the PCC was welcoming new settlers. Perhaps one of the more exhausting tasks in this flurry of activity was the one shouldered by deaconesses of the church who were assigned to the different ports of entry to welcome and assist the refugees. At the time, the PCC even maintained a position for a director of immigration whose headquarters was in Montreal but whose oversight extended to all the ports.18 In the meantime, news arrived from overseas that the Soviet-installed government had consolidated its re-organization of the RCH.19 Six more entries touching on the Hungarian topic appeared over the remainder of

1957 in the Presbyterian Record, three of these were short reports on the difficulties of the church in Hungary and the continued flight of refugees; two reports referred to events in Canada. The one lengthier piece20 summed up the perception of international church leaders on the status of freedom of religion in the world, with special attention directed to the Eastern Bloc. Interest remained relatively high throughout

1958 as ten entries dealt directly with Hungarians, Hungary or the Eastern Bloc. Of these, two were significant pieces describing the essence, the practice and the consequences of Communism for the churches and the populations within the Soviet sphere of influence.21, 22 Information of this nature offered to PCC readers the possibility of becoming acquainted with the issues faced by a church behind the Iron Curtain which was being persecuted and whose refugee members were now members in

15 Presbyterian Record, February 1957,28.

16 Metzger Returns from Austria, Presbyterian Record, March 1957, 5.

17 The Acts and Proceedings of the General Assembly of the PCC, 1958,204.

18 J. A. B. de Vleeschouwer: The Church Welcomes New Settlers, Presbyterian Record, March 1957, 24-25.

19 Religious World News: Religious Situation in Hungary, Presbyterian Record, March 1957,29.

20 John McNab: Protestant Leaders to Confer with Vatican on Religious Freedom, Presbyterian Record, May 1957, 3 and 32.

21 Watson T. Kirkconnell: The "Inside" of Communism, Presbyterian Record, March 1958,6-7, 35.

22 Zeljko Kujundzic: East of the Iron Curtain, Presbyterian Record, November 1958,20-22.

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