(By Senator Thomas J. Dodd) This is the second in a series of studies of "The Church and State Under Communism," which has been prepared for the Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security by the Law Division of the Library of Congress. This study is divided into three parts, the first dealing with Rumania, the second with Bulgaria, and the third with the situation in Albania. Like all Communist nations, Rumania, Bulgaria, and Albania. have modeled their constitutions, and in particular those sections of the constitution that deal with religion, after the basic pattern first established by the Soviet Union. In theory, their constitutions guarantee "freedom of conscience and religious freedom." In practice, all religions have been bitterly persecuted. Members of the clergy have been imprisoned and tortured and executed. Monasteries and church properties have been taken over; a militant antireligious propaganda has been conducted by the state, supported by economic sanctions against those who persist in their faith; and, after heroic resistance by the clergy, clerical authorities obedient to the Communist State have, in most instances, been installed. In no realm is the total perfidy of communism more apparent than in the contrast between the religious liberty promised by the constitutions of Communist States and the merciless persecution of religion which, in practice, characterizes their rule. As the study on Rumania points out, "The regime in practice acted in such a way that the faith, though guaranteed under the constitution, was hampered, asphyxiated, and destroyed by other laws and measures." As one example of these measures, compulsory recreation for children is always scheduled for Sundays and church holidays, thereby preventing them from attending church services. The study on Rumania points out that the entire United Catholic Church was "legally" suppressed by the Communist government on December 1, 1948, and that the pastors of this church were imprisoned, where many of them died. Because this is a subject on which I have done some research, and because the facts here presented are on the sparse side, I have decided to supplement this account by inserting at the conclusion of this introduction the text of a speech I made on March 14, 1964, dealing with the suppression of the United Church in Rumania. The study on Bulgaria points out that under communism "the formal separation of church and state spells the full subordination of the church to the state." Reporting on the persecution of the church in Bulgaria and on the subordination of the Bulgarian Church to the state, the following significant paragraphs appear in this study: Both official publications and abundant secondary source material show that when the Communists seized power they immediately staged mock trials of the clergy and confined about 200 priests to forced labor camps. Some church leaders, including the Metropolitan of Nevrokop, Bishop Boris, were killed, and others, such as the administrator of the Rila Monastery, Egumenus Kalistrat, were sentenced to long imprisonment. Churches and monasteries were profaned. Orthodox priests who were willing to subject themselves to Communist control were organized in a typical mass organization, the Union of Bulgarian Orthodox Priests; those who refused were purged. After closing the schools of the Protestant churches, the Communist government proceeded to subjugate the churches themselves. On February 25, 1949, the Government opened a trial against 15 leading Protestant pastors on charges of espionage for the United States and Great Britain. On March 8, 1949, the Sofia district court sentenced all these pastors to imprisonment and heavy fines. As in the case of the Protestant churches, the Catholic Church was suppressed on the allegation that it was engaging in espionage. In September 1952, a trial against 40 leading Catholic priests and laymen opened in Sofia. The trials ended on October 4, 1952, with the death sentence for one bishop and three priests and prison terms for the remaining defendants. Soon after the trial, the church was obliterated. Catholic schools were closed and Catholic priests, monks, and nuns were forced to leave Bulgaria in 1952. Today, no Catholic organization exists in Bulgaria since the Communist government was unable to find a Catholic clergy which would subordinate itself to Communist policies. A certain degree of religious tolerance has been maintained for the purpose of attracting religious devotees to Communist policies. These churches serve as vehicles for a propaganda whose main theme is the peaceful intentions of the Communist world as opposed to the aggressive imperialist plans of the West. The patriarch of Bulgaria and the Holy Synod are always participants in "peace congresses" and cosigners of "peace appeals." On the occasion of the 70th birthday of Stalin all churches in Bulgaria had to hold special services. Through the Circular Letter No. 3478-19 of May 3, 1963, the head of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kyril, made a declaration defending the policy of the Communist governments concerning the preservation of world peace. The declaration of the Holy Synod of the same church concerning bacteriological weapons was ordered to be read by the priests in all churches. The official organ of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Tsurkoven Vestnik, very often carries articles and editorials with titles such as "Aggression Against the Freedom and Independence of Cuba," "Let Us Help Korea," and the like. Regarding the Cuban crisis, the Bulgarian Patriarch Kyril sent a telegram to the 17th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization on October 24, 1962, stating: "The imposed U.S. blockade of Cuba seriously endangers the peace of the world*** In the name of all the faithful Christians of our country, we and the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, persistently urge the United Nations Organization to invoke its charter and stop the aggression against Cuba." Recent reports show that, after subjecting the church leadership in Bulgaria to its dictatorship, the Bulgarian Communist government turned to the Bulgarian church organizations abroad, especially in the United States, Canada, and Australia, with the intention of extending its influence and control over them. The visit of Bishop Pimen of Nevrokop in the United States during March 1963, the restoration of Bishop Audrey in New York as administrative head of the Bulgarian diocese in the United States, Canada, and Australia, and the establishment of the spiritual council of this diocese in New York were among these efforts of the present Government in Bulgaria. * * * The situation in Albania does not deviate from the pattern established in Rumania and Bulgaria. There is, however, one novel item of information because of the large Moslem population in Albania. The Moslem religion has been persecuted as have all other religions, so that of the 530 mosques which used to function there, only a few dozen are still open. But, despite this, the remaining Moslem clergy have been exploited by the Communist government in various Communist-supported peace conferences or by sending them abroad for propaganda purposes to the Moslem countries of the Middle East and northern Africa. These carefully documented studies on church and state under communism will fill an important gap in the growing literature on communism and life under communism. THE CHURCH AND STATE UNDER COMMUNISM CHURCH AND STATE IN RUMANIA (Materials assembled and translated by Dr. Virgiliu Stoicoiu) 1. Peace Treaty with the Allied and Associated Powers Signed in Paris in August 1947 (42 UN Treaty Series 3) Art. 3. (1) Rumania shall take all measures necessary to secure to all persons under Rumanian jurisdiction, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, the enjoyment of human rights and the fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, of the press and publication, of religious worship, of political opinion, and of public meeting. 2. Constitution (1952) of the Rumanian People's Republic Art. 84. Freedom of conscience is guaranteed to all citizens of the Rumanian People's Republic. Religious denominations are free to organize themselves and to function freely. Freedom of religious worship is guaranteed to all citizens of the Rumanian People's Republic. The school is separate from the church. No religious creed, congregation or community may open or maintain institutions of general education, but only special schools for the training of religious personnel. The organization and functioning of religious denominations are regulated by law. 3. Decree No. 151 on the Denunciation of the Concordat Between Rumania and the Holy See signed on May 10, 1927, and Ratified by the Law of June 12, 1929 1 Sole Article. The Concordat between Rumania and the Holy See as well as the later agreements and conventions regarding the implementation of this Concordat shall be abolished on the date of publication of this Law. On the same date, the Concordat and the later agreements and conventions shall cease to apply. The Law of June 12, 1929, on the Ratification of the Concordat as well as the laws for the ratification of later conventions or agreements shall be abrogated. 4. Decree No. 243 Establishing the Number of Eparchies (Dioceses, Superintendencies) of the Religious Denominations 2 Art. 1. The number of eparchies (dioceses, superintendencies) of the religious denominations in the Rumanian People's Republic shall be established as follows: (a) Rumanian Orthodox denomination: 17 eparchies; 1 Monitoral Oficial (hereinafter M.O.), No. 164, July 19, 1948. 'M.O. No. 217, Sept. 18, 1948. (b) Greek Catholic denomination: 2 eparchies; (c) Roman Catholic denomination: 2 eparchies; (d) Reformed denomination: one episcopate and one superintendency; (e) Christian denomination of the old rite (lipovenese): one eparchy. Art. 2. All other denominations shall have a central organization according to law and under the name stated in the charter of the organization of the respective denomination. Art. 3. Any other provisions [contained in] the laws, regulations or charters contrary [to the present Decree] shall be abrogated. 5. Decree No. 176 on the Transfer Into State Ownership of the Property Belonging to Churches, Congregations or Private Individuals, Which Served for the Functioning of and Support to the Institutions of General, Technical or Professional Education 3 Art. 1. For [the purpose of] a good organization and functioning of State public education and for [the purpose of] the widening and democratization of education, all real and personal property which belonged to churches, congregations, religious communities, private associations, whether profit or nonprofit, and, in general [belonging] to private individuals, physical persons or legal entities, which served for the functioning of schools of education which passed into State ownership according to Article 35 of the Law on Public Education, shall become State owned [and] allocated to the Ministry of Public Education, which is to use them for educational purposes. The real property which comes within the provisions of the preceding paragraph is specified in the Annex which is part of the present Law. Personal property of any kind shall be taken over through an inventory by delegates designated by the Ministry of Public Education. The following shall be considered personal property and real property in accordance with the provisions of this Article: all properties which served for the functioning, maintenance and support of the schools, including dormitories, houses or cafeterias on January 1, 1948, as well as those purchased for the same purpose after [this date]. Art. 2. * Art. 3. Articles used exclusively for religious services shall be returned to their respective denominations. 6. Decree No. 177 Establishing General Regulations for Religious Denominations 4 CHAPTER I. GENERAL PROVISIONS SECTION I. CONCERNING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Art. 1. The State guarantees freedom of conscience and religious freedom throughout the territory of the Rumanian People's Republic. Everyone may belong to any religion or embrace any faith whatsoever, provided the exercise thereof does not violate the constitution, [State] security and public order or good morals. Art. 2. Sectarian hatred manifested by acts which hinder the free exercise of a recognized religious denomination constitutes an offense and shall be punished according to law. M.O. No. 177, Aug. 3, 1948. |