Auswirkungen der josephinischen Toleranzpolitik auf die interkonfessionelle ommunikation im Zwischenraum des nordöstlichen Ungarns
Abstract
The enforcement, reception and of course Abstract the consequences of the tolerance
policy of Joseph II. in confessional and ethnically mixed area in the northeast part of
Hungary Kingdom were impressed by the existence of historical, demographic and
cultural differences. In recent years of reign of Maria Theresa in this peripheral area the
interconfessional relationships are even characterized by accentuated influence of local
norms and power configurations. Despite the intensification of measures to control and
discipline of religious norms the State has not been able to limit wide space, in which
are the applied standards and norms different from those advocated by the State. The
tolerance patent did not mean such distinctive breakthrough in interconfessional
communications as in other areas. In this paper we analyze some of the processes and
phenomena, which confirm this claim. Norms governing the religious upbringing of
children in mixed marriages are also in the period before the tolerance in many local
communities characterized by plurality of solutions. This tendency has strengthened
after issuing of patent. By deciding on about the confessional affiliation of children in
matrimonia mixtae religionis are decisive factors the social status of spouses, distance
from the Catholic and Protestant parishes, pastoral activities and social prestige of the
clergy, the engagement of local landlords. The Project of regulation parishes in the
researched area had to pay more attention to strong position and concurrence of
protestant confessions, which had a dense and consolidated network of parishes. The
existence of two Catholic Churches (Latin and Byzantine-Slavic rite) was from the
perspective of State seen Ecclesia ruthenica as alternative missing or too-distant Roman
Catholic spiritual administration. The policy of positive discrimination of Joseph II. has
led to complement of legal emancipation of the Greek Catholic Clergy and through the
subsidy of religious fond also to their economical and social status.
The greatest conflict potential for the interconfessional communication showed
the state interventions into the liturgical practice and different forms and expressions of
folk religiosity. The Enlightened State tried by the regulations and prohibitions to
remove those religious practices that were inconsistent with the requirements of “true
piety”. In various regions of Habsburg Monarchy dispose the State of with different
effective means of power instruments and several numerous groups of multipliers of his
ecclesiastical policy. Especially in mixed local communities influenced the interfering of
Josephinism into the religious practice the confessional identity of Roman Catholic
community. Prohibition of baroque forms of piety caused on the Catholic side the
uncertainty and fear. The requirement of “practical piety” was often seen as favouring
of Protestantism. Mentioned interventions led to weakening of confidence in the
forbidden form of devotions and various kind of folk religiosity and ultimately the
prestige of the Catholic Church within the local communities.
Keywords
Tolerance policy, Joseph II, interconfess Keywords ional communication, northeast
Hungary, religiosity.