HIS-Press-Service, 1979 (4. évfolyam, 13-15. szám)
1979-02-01 / 13. szám
HIS Press Service No.13, February 1979 Page 5 In view of the experiences of the Hungarian bishops in connection with various arbitrary actions in the past, actions which expressed themselves in forms which were both highly individual and contrary to the established order, the concern expressed by THE BISHOPS IN THEIR CIRCULAR LETTER is both understandable and commendable. Their observation that it is they, the bishops, who must bear the responsibility before Christ and the Holy See for pastoral care in Hungary is justified. However, in addition to the dogmatic and juridical aspects mentioned in the letter, it is also due to the difficult and unique conditions in Hungary that a situation has arisen in which, in the area of concrete pastoral activity, a certain difference of opinion exists between the Church leadership, i.e., the bishops, and their priests - which has thus lead to a crisis in leadership. These aspects too must be taken into consideration in the search for an appropriate solution. Such a developmental or leadership crisis is nothing new in the history of the Church. An already long-practiced type of solution is available to overcome this difficulty, namely that those involved sit down together, attempt to clarify their standpoints, and work out a peaceful solution to the dilemma. The institutionalized forms available at present for handling such problems are the diocesan and national synods. Should the Hungarian Bishops Conference become convinced that significant differences or conflicts exist between the priests active in pastoral care and their bishops, who are entrusted with the leadership of the Church, then it is definitely time to make use of the above-mentioned solution which was often successfully utilized in the Church's history, i.e., to discuss with the priests, within the context of a synodal forum, the forms of pastoral activity which both sides can recognize and accept as appropriate to the present situation. The controlling activity of the State makes calling such a national synod no easy task. It is not impossible that this is the reason why to date no such synod has been convoked in Hungary. The bishops state that the irregularities cropping up within the framework of the liturgy are abuses which have filtered in from the West. This leads to the question of the regulations decided upon by the bishops of Western Churches in the area of liturgy. The Hungarian bishops do not consider the celebration of Masses in private homes improper as long as the priests involved have received appropriate permission; this permission has been extensively granted to Western priests by their bishops. As for celebrating Mass in civil clothing, this is allowed in the West under certain circumstances in accordance with present liturgical practices. There are special situations, for example, in which this is not only the generally accepted practice, but also the only way for large groups of priests to concelebrate with one another. In this era of mass media and tourism, it will not be easy for Hungary's
