Viața unui ierarh al bisericii ortodoxe române din Ungaria reflectată în dosarele poliției politice din Ungaria [Articol]

Abstract

The life of a cleric of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Hungary reflected in the files of the Hungarian political police. In the second half of the 20th century, the Soviet-style communist system came to power in Hungary, with all the dramatic consequences that such a turn of events entailed. The new social order was imposed by force and the state’s governing structures subordinated everything to Bolshevik ideology. These developments had negative consequences for the churches, which had a strong impact on majority Hungarian society, but also on minority ethno-cultural communities and their religious life. In the light of the documents drawn up by the political police of the time, the investigation into the life of János Olah, the protopope of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Hungary, reveals the struggle of a Romanian against the system and the trials to which the people of the church were subjected. The life strategy that a minority had built up for himself can be seen in the way he responded to the dictatorship’s challenges. After the Second World War, the leadership of the priests in the Romanian parishes contributed greatly to the survival and development of the Orthodox communities in Hungary. For example, the parish priest János Oláh fought persistently for the interests of the Méhkerék community. The documents of the Hungarian political police refer to the destiny of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Hungary, a destiny marked at first by jurisdictional problems, then problems arose that questioned their survival (in the Rakosist era), and in the years of Kadarian “Gulasch Communism” various compromises with the powers that be were reached. These writings, being written from the point of view of power, can contribute to the ecclesiastical history only indirectly and complementarily. Their novelty lies in the fact that they enable us to learn about Romanian Orthodox individuals and communities and the challenges they faced from hitherto unappreciated perspectives.