Roman Catholic Priests from the Diocese of Satu Mare Surveilled and Arrested During the Communist Period

At the end of the 1940s and the beginning of the 1950s, out of the 71 priests in the Diocese of Satu Mare, 19 were imprisoned, and Bishop Schef- fler János died in prison. This study aims to outline the destiny of one of the priests from the Diocese of Satu Mare, Fischer Pál, a remarkable example of intransigence, consistency, and fidelity to his religious convictions. The com- munist authorities did not recognize the clandestine ordinaries, which led to the promotion of a parallel diocesan leadership loyal to the regime. Refusing to acknowledge this authority, between 1951 and 1953, Father Fischer fought ve- hemently against the newly created situation. Labeled as “a fanatical religious element, defiant against the regime, who does not recognize the Diocese of Alba Iulia as a superior authority”, he was arrested on July 7, 1953, and con- victed of “public incitement”. After his release, he was placed under strict sur- veillance by the Securitate (the secret police), during which time, according to his personal file, Father Fischer “sought to hinder the political and social work of local authorities”, forced youth to attend religion classes, through which “he instilled mysticism and hostile sentiments toward the country’s people’s dem- ocratic regime”. Since the first conviction failed to reeducate him, on February 26, 1959, he was re-arrested for “conspiracy against social order” and sen- tenced to 9 years in correctional prison. Released on July 31, 1964, he settled in his native village, living off financial aid from his sister. No longer permitted to serve as a priest, he remained under the political police’s surveillance.