STIMULUS FOR HUNGARY

By a Special Correspondent
DESPITE the death of Pope John, negotiations between the Holy See and the Iron Curtain countries are continuing. Hopes are rising in Rome that, in the Vatican Council's second session, there will be more Council Fathers from behind the Curtain than there were at the first.
These may include not only Cardinal Mindszenty, the Hungarian Primate, but also Archbishop Beran of Prague, and the question is becoming more and more acute as September 29 approaches.
Some sources speak of a settlement "during" the Council's next session, but, in fact, talks are going on now.
Reports from Rome and Eastern Europe are hinting strongly that Cardinal Mindszenty's presence in Hungary has less symbolic significance than is commonly supposed, and that this aspect of the matter need not be a barrier.
It is argued that he would have far more influence, both in Hungary and on the international front, if he accepted a Curial job in Rome, where much effective work could be found for him.
His active presence there would bring the needs and the living reality of the Christian communities in the Communist countries out of the twilight they have sunk into.
It has been commonplace to refer to Cardinal Mindszenty as a symbol of the faith and its survival in Hungary, and to suggest that, if he left the country, the morale of the Catholic body would go with him—not to mention the effect on the rest of the Church of Silence.
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In fact. however, recent reports suggest that the Mindszenty symbol is more of a psychological anchorage for refugees outside Hungary than a reality for the people inside the country. and that Church diplomats do not subscribe to the symbol dogma in its current form.
it is urged that. if the Cardinal were being kept in prison by the Communists. he would be a symbol of past and present alike. At the United States Legation in Budapest. however, he is only a symbol of the past. Moreover, his continued presence in the Legation is a mounting,emharrassment to the Hungarian government and the U.S. authorities alike.
It would be the easiest thing in the world for the Vatican to secure his release as such. Rut he will not
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leave, nor would Rome want him to, unless the Communists guarantee freedom for Catholics under suitable alternative leadership.
In • many ways, the Cardinal's presence in an official position in Rome would make him a more valuable symbol within Hungary itself, but only if his departure with Hungary geared in with certain positive steps, such as the appointment of bishops to vacant sees, and a government declaration of full freedom of worship for Catholics.
It is quite clear that the Church is insisting on these concessions as a sine qua non. It is also clear that. in all Iron Curtain countries, the faith is as strong as ever.
Catholics there received greet comfort and encouragement from the messages, blessings and presents sent to them by Pope John, who used all means to let them know how close he, and the Church. were to them.
The Pope's reception of Mr. Adzhubei, Mr. Kruschev's son-inlaw, far from being a sign that Rome was throwine the Church of Silence to the wolves, was intended to hearten Iron Curtain Catholics who had hitherto had no representative to speak for them to their own Communist masters. let alone to the world's top Communist leaders.
It is known that the Hungarian and Czech authorities. and governments in other Communist countries, too. are now more than ever anxious to establish some form of rapprochement with the Vatican.
While Vatican spokesmen refuse to discuss the prospect of release for Cardinal Mindszenty and Archbishop Reran, it is clear that, in the interval between the first two -sessions of the Council. they have become increasingly preoccupied with the prospect of using the Council as an occasion for achieving settlements,