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Reaction of bishops, priests and faithful of the Greek Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia to the forced Orthodoxization after the so-called Council of Presov
Abstract
The communist coup in Czechoslovakia led to a sharp deterioration of religious freedom. Soon after the consolidation of power, the ideological struggle between communism and Christianity became fully apparent. At the beginning of 1950, anti-church measures were stepped up, including the implementation of Action "P" – the violent orthodoxization of Greek Catholics. The conclusions of the so-called Presovsky sobor (Ecumenical Council of Presov) of April 28, 1950, meant the abolition of the Greek Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia and the takeover of its property and believers under the administration of the Orthodox Church in Czechoslovakia. Bishops Pavel Gojdič and Vasil Hopko rejected violent Orthodoxization and were imprisoned. Their example served as an example for priests and believers who were exposed to the agitation pressure of communist supporters. A small part complied, but most also resisted thanks to the illegal activities of priests Ivan Ljavinc, Ján Hirka, Miron Petrašovič and others. Their statement was supported by believers who were identified as members of the Orthodox Church by the communist regime without them stating their affiliation with Orthodox Church. Some of them accepted the new conditions, but the majority resisted. They expressed it by defending and supporting persecuted clergy, by refusing to hand over the temple to the Orthodox Church, and finally by writing a petition or petition for the restoration of the Greek Catholic Church. In order not to have to take part in religious life in the Orthodox Church, they went to the temples of the Roman Catholic Church or united without the presence of a priest and performed religious ceremonies themselves. The communist regime also tried to eliminate the resistance by moving more than 100 clergy with families outside Slovakia to places after the displaced Germans in Bohemia and Moravia. Believers were arrested and imprisoned. Nevertheless, priests and believers contacted each other, supported each other, and sought to improve their religious lives. Cooperation between priests and believers between 1950 and 1968 led to the restoration of the Greek Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia despite draconian measures by the totalitarian regime, and the importance of the relentless attitude of bishops, cooperation between priests and believers confirms the return of most parishes from the original 241 returned 206 parishes.
Keywords:
Greek Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Communist regime, Action „P“, CzechoslovakiaDetails
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