Crises to come in Hungary despite pact with Rome

By Special Correspondents
COMPETENT authorities in Budapest think it is unrealistic to expect an immediate bettering of conditions for the Church in Hungary as a result of the agreement signed in midSeptember between the Hungarian Government and the Holy See.
They believe the process of improvement. if it materialises, will take a long time and will be marked by many crises along the way.
The agreement has as its basic point a recognition of the Holy See's authority over the direction of the Hungarian Sees. To implement this recognition the Holy See immediately made six episcopal appointments in Hungary.
Authorities point to what they call an important aspect of the agreement. Both parties declared themselves disposed to continue exchanges of views with the hope of arriving at a broader agreement in the future.
But informed observers note that it would be fatuous to believe the agreement represents any basic change of view by the Ilungarian Communists regarding the Church or religion. They emphasise that the leadership of the Hungarian Communist party is just as dedicated as before to the ultimate destruction of the Church and all religion.
They say Communist participation in the agreement was not motivated by any desire to better conditions for religion, but rather to gain prestige in the eyes of the world and to try to gain acceptance at home.
Gloomy picture
A Catholic businessman who has just returned to Vienna from a visit to Czechoslovakia obtained an equally gloomy picture of conditions there. He contradicts reports of other travellers' impressions on recent trips, and insists that the persecution of the Church in that Communist-ruled country is as severe as ever.
He said the Czechoslovak rulers' methods of oppression may have become rrforc subtle, but were no less severe now than they were when persecution of the Church was started systematically 15 years ago.
Perhaps there is a gleam of hope in the fact that talks between the Vatican and the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia are in progress in "the capital of a West European country", according to the German Catholic news agency.
The agency says the discussions were preceded by a consultation between Bishop Eduard Nccsey, the Apostolic Administrator of the Nitra diocese, who acted as spokesman for the Czechoslovak bishops. He is now in Rome for the Vatican Council.
Americans pray for Russia
The first all-night vigil in New York City was led last weekend by Fr. J. Ryans. S.J., founder of All-Night Vigils in the United States, who brought two coachloads of pilgrims from Baltimore and Washington, D.C., where vigils are held each month.
The New York vigil took place at the Vatican Pavilion of the World's Fair where the Russian Ikon of Our Lady of Kazan was enthroned. Pilgrims prayed for the conversion of Russia and Christian Unity,