Calvin Synod Herald, 1992 (92. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1992-09-01 / 5. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA Rev. Csutoros, 92, died at the Lorantffy care center in Copley. The Rev. Stephen W. Csutoros was born in the parsonage of his father’s Hungarian Reformed Church on E. 79th Street. The church led by his father, the Rev. Alex Csutoros, distributed food to needy immigrants struck by economic panics in 1903 and 1907. The food lines left a lasting impression on Rev. Csutoros, who although having been born in the United States, The Dangerous Situation of the Reformed Church in Romania stipulates that most education, including vocational and professional training, is to be in the Romanian language. It would also restrict training in Christian schools and seminaries. During his Washington visit, Tőkés called on US officials to withhold mostfavored-nation status from Romania until the government lifts pressure on pro-democratic forces and minority groups. MFN would lower tariffs on Romanian imports. On June 22, however, the Bush Administration declared its intent to grant MFN to Romania in a letter to Congress requesting ratification of a new trade pact. Securing MFN has been the top priority of Romania’s National Salvation Front government in relations with the U.S. Romanian leaders regard MFN as a significant symbol of American approval. MFN was renounced by Ceausescu in 1988 to counter U.S. demands that he improve Romania’s human rights record.- 6 -devoted his life to helping with another generation of immigrants. In 1915, work began on the First Hungarian Presbyterian Church on Buckeye Road. It is the church the eventually became his parish. Rev. Csutoros did not make an immediate decision to enter the ministry. In World War I, he was a flying companion of Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker on the Western Front. In 1922, he entered into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. In 1923, he chose the ministry over the military and never regretted it. The scenes of his childhood were repeated at his church during the Depression. “It was memorable for me to serve three generations. It was inspiring and it was gratifying. It was hard work, but it paid in spiritual rewards,” he said at his retirement in 1968 after 40 years at First Hungarian Presbyterian Church. Romanian opposition leaders opposed granting MFN to Romania after the 1989 revolution because, as Tőkés noted, “it was diverted into a putsch, compromised by President Ion Iliescu and the clique in power.” Observers believe Tőkés was instrumental in preventing the extension of MFN privileges last year during his first U.S. visit. He reportedly asked Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger to continue to withhold MFN until human rights changes were made. With long-delayed parliamentary elections now planned for September, Tőkés insisted that the Romanian government still has not changed its ways. Dórin Tudorán, a Romanian journalist who spoke with Tőkés at the June 22 briefing, sponsored by the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, told NNI that the Bush Administration decision on MFN was “perfectly wrong once again.” Tudorán, a former dissident who earned the deep respect of Hungarians by signing a 1984 protest of Ceausescu’s treatment of ethnic minorities, believes MFN will not bene-After the Hungarian revolt in 1956, the State Department chose Rev. Csutoros to work with Hungarian refugees because of his familiarity with American customs and his knowledge of Hungarian traditions. He went to Vienna, “and with the crisp incisiveness developed by his West Point training, procured visas for 510 relatives of Clevelanders,” one reporter wrote. When Rev. Csutoros retired from the First Hungarian Presbyterian Church, he left behind a parish that was debt-free and financially sound. Its loyal parishioners came from Parma, Rocky River, Willoughby, Lakewood, Berea, Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights. He is survived by his wife, Marguerite; son, Steven A. of Boca Raton, Fla.; two grandchildren; and one sister, Vilma Strohm. fit those it is intended to help. “I think it’s just endorsing Iliescu and his band, and that is how it will be perceived by the Romanian people,” he said. In addition to Tudorán, Tőkés was joined at the briefing by two other ethnic Romanians — journalist Mirces Mahaesi, editor of Horizon magazine, and scholar Vladimir Tismaneanu. The three Romanians agreed with Tőkés that the supposedly disbanded secret police continues to pose a significant problem. Tismaneanu, who recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Romania, said, “The storngest institution in Romanian society is still the secret police.” Although the coalition of pro-democratic forces united under the Democratic Convention remains largely intact, previous coalitions have splintered. It is significant, as Tőkés noted, that the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania remains part of the pro-democratic coalition. But these forces are still weak, Tőkés said, and operatives behind the ruling National Salvation Front can still “manipulate” them. Rev. Stephen W. Csutoros 1900-1992
