History/Political Science paper by Petrás, Éva
The Life of Töhötöm Nagy, a Hungarian Jesuit, Freemason and Collaborator of the Hungarian State Security (Accepted)
Type of Abstract (select):Abstract (max. 250 words):
Töhötöm Nagy was a Hungarian Jesuit (1908-1979), who lived an extraordinary life that included several stages first in the Jesuit order, later as an emigrant freemason in South America, and finally in Hungary again as a secret agent of the communist political police. The paper would focus on each stages of his life, thus contributing to understand his decisions and motifs.
After intensive Jesuit studies, which included theology, philosophy and sociology, Nagy started his clerical career as one of the leaders of the most successful Catholic youth movement in interwar Hungary, KALOT (Catholic Society for Agrarian Youth). As he dealt with social problems, he was involved in the struggles for an agrarian reform policy. In 1945-1946 Nagy travelled six times between Budapest and Rome and became a chief negotiator between the Vatican, the Hungarian Catholic church and the Soviets. Since he could not agree with Cardinal Mindszenty and his policy, Mindszenty saw to it that Nagy should leave Hungary: he was “sentenced” to exile in South America. Because of his disappointments, however, Nagy left the Jesuit order in 1948. Later he became a member of the Hungarian freemason community in Argentina, but after the Hungarian political police offered him a chance to return to Hungary, in 1968 he moved to Budapest. Until his death he was used by the state security as a secret agent.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Éva Petrás (PhD) studied at Pécs University with specialization in history and English, and subsequently received her MA degree in modern history at Central European University. She obtained her PhD in history at the European University Institute in Florence in 2003. Between 2009 and January 2020 she worked as a researcher in the Historical Archives of the Hungarian State Security (ÁBTL), Budapest. Since February 2020 she works as a research fellow of the Committee of National Remembrance (NEB). She is also a member of the “10 generáció/10 Generations” – “Lendület” Research Project of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.