Arrests of Bulgar Pastors Part of “Assault on East Europe Churches”

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22869, 12 February 1949, Page 5

Arrests of Bulgar Pastors Part of “Assault on East Europe Churches”

(N.Z.P. A.—Reuter —Copyright.) (10.30 a.m.) LONDON, Feb. 11. Fifteen leaders of the United Evangelical Churches of Bulgaria have been arrested on charges of espionage, black market operations and other activities against the State, says the Associated Press correspondent in Sofia. The leaders were charged with inciting a foreign State to hostile activity against Bulgaria.

The indictment also said that the accused spread rumours of a forthcoming war between the United States and the Soviet' Union and of the atomic bomb danger to Bulgaria. They were accused of receiving money from a foreign country which they sold on the black market, thereby violating the foreign currency law. The Foreign Minister, Mr. Vladmir Topencharov, said the church leaders were arrested in December and would probably be tried at the end of this month. He said the main charge against them was espionage for Britain and the United States and some of them had already confessed. “The Usual Charges” Tire arrests of 15 pastors in Bulgaria “on the usual charges” was described by the Foreign Office spokesman as part of a concerted assault on the churches in Eastern Europe. The intention to try these men must be read in conjunction with the trial of Cardinal Mindszenty and that last year of Bishop Ordas of the Hungarian Protestant Church, he said. The trials also had to be viewed in conjunction with the campaign against religion in the Soviet Union at a comparable stage in the communisation of Russia. The British United Press correspondent in Sofia says the acting president of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Dr. Paisi Vracov, issued a circular to all bishops and members of the Orthodox Church in Bulgaria appealing for co-operation with the Government to help to fulfil the nation’s five-year plan. Over 6,000,000 of Bulgaria’s 7,000,000 inhabitants belong to the Orthodox Church, while 160,000 Protestants form the smallest religious group of the country. Catholic Envoy Arrested

Vatican sources said today that a Jesuit priest, Father Emerico Moczy, who arrived at the Vatican in December bearing a “peace” offer from the Hungarian Government was arrested on his return to Hungary, says the Associated Press correspondent at the Vatican.

The same sources suggested that Father Moczy probably carried a Papal message to the Hungarian Bishops when he was arrested. This message was dated January 2 and was made public on February 9. It condemned Cardinal Mindszenty’s arrest and exhorted Catholics to defend the church courageously. The Pope today told the Italian Premier, Signor Gasperi, in a private audience, that he was relying on him to defend vigorously the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church against Communist attacks in Italy, says the British United Press correspondent in Rome. About 500 Catholic Action youths paraded before the Hungarian Legation in Rome today, shouting: “Long live the Pope! Long live Mindszenty!” They booed Hungary’s Communist regime. After an hour’s demonstration the youths disbanded without incident.