HIS-Press-Service, 1980 (5. évfolyam, 16-18. szám)
1980-11-01 / 18. szám
HIS Press Service No.18, November 1980 Page 11 constitutes only half a step, since it is understandable to expect that someone who has taken the course would also then be able, as a person with professional training, to make beneficial use of this knowledge on a practical level.- "Regulated matters": There is constant talk of "regulated" relations, the "regulation" of certain matters, "agreements" regarding new aspects, etc. In addition to religious instruction in the churches, for example, Secretary of State Imre Miklós also considered it a positive step that, since the partial agreement of 1964, a new agreement has been worked out (1971) concerning the necessity of obtaining State approval for appointments to Church offices (see the statement of Imre Miklós in "Magyar Kurir," 2 September 1980). The contents of this agreement were never made public. Miklós undoubtedly has in mind here the appointments affecting the smaller parishes. It must be remembered that it is still not only in the appointment of bishops that the state agencies must be consulted, but that even parish appointments cannot be made by the diocesan bishops simply on the basis of their own good judgement. Even Parish assistants too constantly faced with the ‘ possibility of being transferred from one parish to another as a result of State pressure if they should carry out their pastoral duties more conscientiously and dynamically than the average priest. Secretary of State Imre Miklós also described the increase in copies per edition of the Catholic weekly newspaper, "Uj Ember," as a positive step. This concession does undoubtedly constitute progress, though here too there is another less positive side which is generally applicable to the entire Catholic press in Hungary: In addition to the rather rigid "censorship" carried on by the Catholic press itself, it constantly occurs that the State authorities - even though carefully avoiding the word "censorship" - issue objections and demand deletions or changes.- An unusual type of subsidiarity: When asked about the problem of small church groups, Miklós simply observed that this was not his problem or that of the State, but rather the problem of the Church. In reality, the State left it up to - not to mention ordered - the bishops to regulate the problem of the small base groups. This type of division of responsibility is recently also being applied in other matters: It is left up to the Church, for example, to regulate certain matters falling within its framework of activity, although the State agencies are still present in the background as those having the actual say in the matter. Since the demands of these agencies are met at present as a result of the two parties being "on good terms" with one another, the State is in a position to forego setting down specific administrative measures.- Prerequisites-for the "small steps": The Church cannot of course expect that an atheistic state will initiate measures which are in the Church's interest. Secretary of State Miklós has many times stated that one must proceed on the basis of
