Absence of the churches of silence” “

Forty years ago, on 11 October 1962, Pope John XXIII solemnly opened the work of Vatican Council II. But what were its effects on the Churches of Eastern Europe, in particular in Hungary? We asked Msgr. Veres András , auxiliary bishop of Eger. How did the Hungarian Church participate in the work of the Council? “Our bishops were prevented from participating in the initial work of the Council. However, six bishops and some theologians were able to leave Hungary to attend the last sessions. Ten years after the end of the Council we translated its documents into Hungarian and this has helped the daily work of our priests a great deal. But under the Communist regime it was not easy to implement the teachings of Vatican II: the clergy were unable to do what they wanted because the government controlled everything. If priests were responsive to the needs of the modern Church – if for example they worked well with the young – a few months later they were transferred elsewhere. In spite of this, very slowly, the Hungarian Church succeeded in forming new priests according to the Council’s documents”. Was there a great change after the fall of Communism? “Yes, absolutely. After the political change there were no longer any difficulties. But ten years are not enough to put into practice all the teachings of the Council. Today many of our priests come to Rome to study and the government no longer controls our activities as it did then. A recent sociological survey found that practising Christians hitherto lived for the most part in the smaller towns and villages and were not very well educated. Today everything has changed: Catholics are better educated and live in the big cities. This too is a strong sign that something has begun, even if we are not yet wholly satisfied. The Church in Hungary has not yet changed enough. There is some clericalism, a hangover from the past. The laity must assume a more important role in parish life. That is why we are trying to train them, also professionally, to assume positions of responsibility in the Church”. How have the Hungarian faithful accepted the Council? “Many reacted to the turning point of the Council with great joy, precisely because they had lived in fear in the past. Hitherto, the Hungarian laity and intellectuals were afraid of going to church because they risked losing their jobs, given that the police controlled everything. In the 1990s church attendance increased a lot, but more recently it has once again declined. A census was held in Hungary in 2001, the first for years. For the first time it was possible freely to declare to what church one belonged. 75% of the population declared their membership of a Christian Church, of whom 55% Catholics and the rest Protestants. But regular attendance of church services is only about 13-14%. During the Communist period there was good will even on the part of nonbelievers who cooperated in the Church’s activities. Then, with the spread of materialism and consumerism, many things changed, and now there’s a strong current of anticlericalism in Hungary which is also active in political life” . Periodically there’s discussion of calling a “new council”. What do you think of that? “We are still in the phase of more effectively realizing Vatican Council II. However, it’s true that life is changing very rapidly today, and new needs are arising within the Church, about which we undoubtedly need to reflect. I don’t know if the time has come to proclaim a new council, but I think we do have a need at least for a synod that may devote its attention to the problems of the Church in Europe”. P.C.