György P. Bulányi (Budapest, 9 January 1919 – Budapest, June 6, 2010) was a

Piarist The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools ( la, Ordo Clericorum Regularium pauperum Matris Dei Scholarum Piarum), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the ...

priest, teacher, and leader of the

Bokor A bokor (male) ht, bòkò) or caplata (female) is a Vodou witch for hire who is said to serve the loa "with both hands", practicing for both good and evil. Their practice includes the creation of zombies and of 'ouangas', talismans that house s ...

Catholic youth discipleship movements in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

and

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

which faced strong suppression from the Hungarian

communist government A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...

and Catholic hierarchy for their advocacy of

conscientious objection A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to objecti ...

Early life

Bulányi graduated from the College of Teacher Education, the College of Paleontology, and then the Pázmány Péter University of Sciences. In 1943 he was ordained a priest in the Piarist Order. He then taught in a Piarist high school serving

Sátoraljaújhely Sátoraljaújhely (; archaic german: Neustadt am Zeltberg ; sk, Nové Mesto pod Šiatrom; yi, איהעל, Ihel, or ) is a town located in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county in northern Hungary along the Slovak border. It is east from the county ...

, Tata, and

Debrecen Debrecen ( , is Hungary's second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the largest Hungarian city in the 18th century and i ...

. In March 1945, a Croatian Jesuit named Kolakovićs came to Hungary to form base communities of youth with the permission of

József Mindszenty József Mindszenty (; 29 March 18926 May 1975) was a Hungarian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Esztergom and leader of the Catholic Church in Hungary from 1945 to 1973. According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', ...

, bishop of

Veszprém Veszprém (; german: Weißbrunn, sl, Belomost) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county (comitatus or 'megye') of ...

. Kolakovićs viewed the model of base communities or cell groups as a survival strategy in the face of likely communist suppression where leaders might be unavailable. Bulányi and Kolakovićs collaborated to in the

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...

of the high school students who joined this community, and the group came to be called Bokor meaning "

bush Bush commonly refers to: * Shrub, a small or medium woody plant Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to: People * Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name **Bush family, a prominent American family that includes: *** ...

". They were sometimes also called Bulányists.

Bokor

Bokor was focused on following

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

and cultivating a love for Jesus. Bokor taught principles of

altruism Altruism is the principle and moral practice of concern for the welfare and/or happiness of other human beings or animals, resulting in a quality of life both material and spiritual. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core as ...

humility Humility is the quality of being humble. Dictionary definitions accentuate humility as a low self-regard and sense of unworthiness. In a religious context humility can mean a recognition of self in relation to a deity (i.e. God), and subsequent ...

voluntary poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little

income

, service to the poor, and

Christian pacifism Christian pacifism is the theological and ethical position according to which pacifism and non-violence have both a scriptural and rational basis for Christians, and affirms that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. Chr ...

. Bokor opposed all involvement in the military and use of force. It was a

movement Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

designed for

exponential growth Exponential growth is a process that increases quantity over time. It occurs when the instantaneous rate of change (that is, the derivative) of a quantity with respect to time is proportional to the quantity itself. Described as a function, a q ...

, intending to train participants to start their own leaderless

cell group The cell group is a form of church organization that is used in many Christian churches. Cell groups are generally intended to teach the Bible and personalize Christian fellowship. They are always used in cell churches, but also occur in parac ...

of 4–12 friends. The movement was

egalitarian Egalitarianism (), or equalitarianism, is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds from the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all hum ...

, offering all participants the opportunity to share their opinions, and group

prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...

s were performed by taking turns. In 1949, Bulányi wrote a pamphlet (Old Scripture) on behalf of a group calling itself (Bush-Eco). The pamphlet asserted that humanity has a

moral responsibility In philosophy, moral responsibility is the status of morally deserving praise, blame, reward, or punishment for an act or omission in accordance with one's moral obligations. Deciding what (if anything) counts as "morally obligatory" is a princi ...

to respect

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

preserve The word preserve may refer to: Common uses * Fruit preserves, a type of sweet spread or condiment * Nature reserve, an area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or other special interest, usually protected Arts, entertainment, and media ...

the

natural environment The natural environment or natural world encompasses all life, living and non-living things occurring nature, naturally, meaning in this case not Artificiality, artificial. The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth. Th ...

, and consider the impacts of actions on

future generation Future generations are cohorts of hypothetical people not yet born. Future generations are contrasted with current and past generations, and evoked in order to encourage thinking about intergenerational equity. The moral patienthood of future ge ...

s. This is one of the earliest documents of the modern

environmental movement The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists a ...

in Hungary. Bokor opposed the

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

ideology of the Hungarian state under

Mátyás Rákosi Mátyás Rákosi (; born Mátyás Rosenfeld; 9 March 1892
– 5 February 1971) was a Hungarian

, and continued to clash specifically on the topic of pacifism. The Hungarian State Church Office to the Bishop warned them that this position would not be tolerated, but Bokor held firm on this issue. The Hungarian government viewed the Bokor community as an illegal anti-state organization, and sentenced Bulányi to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

in 1952. He escaped in October 1956 during the Hungarian revolution and became a

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

in downtown

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

. However, he was arrested again in April 1958 and later released again in 1960. At this time, he was one of the most controversial figures in Hungarian Catholicism. He then worked as an unskilled laborer while he wrote a book, ''Seek the kingdom of God!'' Bokor grew throughout the 1960s and became even more visible after 1970, despite ongoing suppression from both the government and the Catholic hierarchy. For those interested in deeper discipleship, Bokor offered a 5 year theological course involving about 78–80

spiritual exercises The ''Spiritual Exercises'' ( la, Exercitia spiritualia), composed 1522–1524, are a set of Christian meditations, contemplations, and prayers written by Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th-century Spanish priest, theologian, and founder of the Society ...

per year. In 1989, Bokor had 185 leaders, 35 of whom were priests. The movement was connected to the base communities of Latin American

liberation theology Liberation theology is a Christian theological approach emphasizing the liberation of the oppressed. In certain contexts, it engages socio-economic analyses, with "social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed peoples". In ...

. Bokor continued to be suppressed by the Hungarian government until 1990.

Conscientious objection advocacy

From the end of the 1970s into 1981, Bulányi became more vocal in preaching pacifism and

publicly, and the practice increased markedly. Dozens of Bokor members were imprisoned for their pacifist stance. Hungarian Catholic officials, led by

László Paskai László Paskai, O.F.M. (8 May 1927 – 17 August 2015) was a Hungarian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, He served as the archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest from 1987 to 2002. He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 ...

, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, strongly objected to Bulányi's teaching, considering it harmful and dangerous. They issued a formal condemnation of conscientious objection in October 1986. These officials supported government suppression of conscientious objectors, and imprisonments continued throughout the 1980s. Continued advocacy from groups like Bokor and interaction with Catholics outside of Hungary softened their perspective, however, and in March 1988, Paskai suggested that the Prime Minister allow alternative civilian service. Paskai later claimed to have been constrained by the autocratic government and said that he had no choice but to collaborate in suppression.

Conflict with Catholic hierarchy

The Hungarian government and Catholic hierarchy responded by seeking to discredit Bulányi by presenting evidence that his writings were heretical. There was significant debate about Bulányi's writings such as ''Church order'' and ''Is obedience a virtue?'', drawing input from theologians such as

Hans Küng Hans Küng (; 19 March 1928 – 6 April 2021) was a Swiss Catholic priest, theologian, and author. From 1995 he was president of the Foundation for a Global Ethic (Stiftung Weltethos). Küng was ordained a priest in 1954, joined the faculty o ...

. In a 31 December 1986 letter, Cardinal

Joseph Ratzinger Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

, head of the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from Heresy in Christianity, heresy and is ...

, asked Bulányi to publicly withdraw his teachings on the universal priesthood of the laity as false, dangerous ambiguous, and

heretical Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

.Ki tért meg? (Bulányi György piarista atya egyházi rehabilitációja, HVG, 1997. október 4.)
/ref> Bulányi did not agree with Ratzinger's assessment, and for a decade these strong official statements against Bulányi remained. After the change in government in Hungary in 1989, the Hungarian state requested forgiveness from Bulányi. However, leaders of the Catholic Church did not apologize.Index.hu (Meghalt Bulányi György, 2010. június. 7.)
/ref> Finally, in February 1997, Bulányi and Ratzinger came to an agreement, with

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

offering greater

freedom of conscience Freedom of thought (also called freedom of conscience) is the freedom of an individual to hold or consider a fact, viewpoint, or thought, independent of others' viewpoints. Overview Every person attempts to have a cognitive proficiency by ...

than Ratzinger had previously accepted. Bulányi cooperated, clarified his teachings, and signed a statement requested of him. On 5 April 1997, Ratzinger wrote that he considered the matter closed. On 10 September 1997, there was a public announcement of the formal

rehabilitation Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...

of Bulányi in the Catholic Church, and he was once again permitted to conduct mass. The

Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference (HCBC) (in Hungarian: Magyar Katolikus Püspöki Konferencia) is the Episcopal Conference of Catholic bishops of Hungary. The Bishops' Conference After the Second Vatican Council the Hungarian Catholic Bis ...

published the statements of Bulányi and Ratzinger without comment. Some Hungarian Catholics were disappointed that the Conference didn't offer an apology for their behavior toward Bulányi and his supporters. These Catholic viewed the actions of the Catholic hierarchy as improper use of power in collaboration with an immoral autocratic state. Even after rehabilitation, Bulányi continued to be marginalized within the Catholic community. From 2005 until his death, Bulányi lived with other Piarists in the of Budapest.

Views

Bulányi identified with the views of

Marcion of Sinope Marcion of Sinope (; grc, Μαρκίων ; ) was an early Christian theologian in early Christianity. Marcion preached that God had sent Jesus Christ who was an entirely new, alien god, distinct from the vengeful God of Israel who had created ...

in rejecting the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

as uninspired, immoral, and incompatible with the character of the God of Jesus who is love. Bulányi affirmed a church structure consisting of base communities,Idézi Jupp Wagner
/ref> based on a theological affirmation of

universal priesthood The priesthood of all believers or universal priesthood is a biblical principle in most Protestant branches of Christianity which is distinct from the institution of the ''ministerial'' priesthood ( holy orders) found in some other branches, incl ...

of the

laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...

.See also

Works

* * * * * * It was laid in Jászol. Christmas meditations by György Bulányi, 1949–1993 ; Irotron, Bp., 1993 * * * * * * * * * * (six-volumes) *
Seek the Kingdom of God! Where did it come from?
*
Seek the Kingdom of God! Why did you come?
*
Seek the Kingdom of God! The road
*
Seek the Kingdom of God! Not accepted in
*
Seek the Kingdom of God! The country
* *

*

Citations

References

* * * * * * * * *

External links

György Bulányi

Bokor

BOCS Foundation

Ferenc Faragó
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulanyi, Gyorgy 1919 births 2010 deaths 20th-century Hungarian educators Catholic pacifists Late Modern Christian anti-Judaism Conscientious objectors Dissident Roman Catholic theologians Escapees from Hungarian detention 20th-century Hungarian Roman Catholic priests Hungarian Roman Catholic theologians Hungarian anti-communists Hungarian environmentalists Hungarian escapees Hungarian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Piarists Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Hungary Roman Catholic religious educators Clergy from Budapest