EL IMPACTO DEL ARBITRAJE DE VIENA EN LA EPISCOPIA GRECO-CATÓLICA DE CLUJ-GHERLA (SEPTIEMBRE–OCTUBRE 1940)

Abstract

This paper aims to illustrate a difficult period in the history of the Romanian Church United with Rome, namely: the evolution of the Greek Catholic Diocese of Cluj-Gherla in the first two months after the split of Transylvania, as a result of the Vienna Diktat. The purpose of this article is to highlight the consequences that the entry of North-West Transylvania into Hungary had on the Greek Catholic Diocese of Cluj-Gherla; what changes the new administration brings to the United Church. After highlighting the general framework (status, economic situation, the attempt to subordinate the greek-catholic dioceses to the Archdiocese of Esztergom, as well as the pressure on the Greek Catholic believers to change their denomination), the activity of bishop Iuliu Hossu is also presented. Emphasis will be placed on the bishop’s efforts and attempts to stop the abuses of the new authority on the Romanian population, his attempts to mediate conflicts between Romanian and Hungarian leaders, and last but not least the efforts made to manage the administration of the Greek Catholic Diocese in the new political context. The article also presents the situation of educational institutions under the auspices of the United Diocese of Cluj-Gherla, and the difficulties they face as a result of changes in the education system.