The World Council of Churches in Hungary, 1956: Catalyst of Revolution and Flight? (Accepted)

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Abstract (max. 250 words):
The World Council of Churches (WCC) brings together many Christian churches seeking to express their common faith. In 1954 a Hungarian delegate invited the WCC to convene its periodic Central Committee meeting in Hungary, and it took place there July 28-August 5, 1956 following preparatory meetings outside Hungary and with the Hungarian authorities. The 200 attendees included 90 committee members but also many East European guests from Hungary and neighboring countries. In Hungary, WCC leaders engaged discretely with the authorities about the repression of religion, including the fate of Cardinal Mindszenty (though Catholics were not members of the WCC) and Lutheran Bishop Lajos Ordass. During the meeting the delegates debated and promulgated resolutions on “Proselytism and Religious Liberty” and “The Churches and the Building of a Responsible International Society.” The final text of the latter resolution concluded with a statement supporting free movement of populations that anticipates the flight of refugees after the Revolution. During the Revolution, Mindszenty and Ordass were restored briefly to office and the WCC expressed its support for the Hungarian people’s desire for freedom. Later, Communist authorities asserted the WCC helped provoke the Revolution, a charge the WCC denied. In historical perspective we must question both the Communist charges and those of Christian conservatives that the WCC was soft on Communism. The fact remains that the WCC leadership was largely West European and American, and it played a major role in the reception of Hungarian refugees. Sources include the WCC Archives in Geneva.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
James P. (Jim) Niessen earned his Ph.D at Indiana University with a dissertation on religion and politics in nineteenth century Transylvania. He has published several studies on the Romanian and Hungarian national movements. After supervising the digitization ten years ago of a portion of the records of the President’s Committee for Hungarian Refugee Relief, he shifted the focus of his research to the reception of the 56ers and has published various studies on this topic in Hungary and the US. Since 2001 he is World History Librarian at Rutgers University. He served two terms as President of AHEA in 2014-18.