Declaration of the General Convent of the Hungarian Reformed Church regarding the Reformed Christian Calvinist Church in Croatia

The presidency of the Hungarian Reformed Church’s General Convent – confirming its previous position – declares that the Reformed Christian Calvinist Church in Croatia (RCCC) and its leadership, Bishop Lajos Csáti Szabó and Lay President József Kel, whose elections were witnessed by General Convent legal representatives, are recognized as the lawful representation of the Hungarian reformed community in Croatia. The Convent has already expressed this standpoint on 29 October 2011, when the leadership, bishops and lay presidents, of all its church districts took part in the induction of the bishop and lay president of the RCCC. The recognition was furthermore confirmed by the decision made on 28 June 2013 session of the Hungarian Reformed Church’s common synod, when it admitted the RCCC as its member, joining the Hungarian reformed community in the Carpathian Basin.

The General Convent’s presidency was pleased to hear that during their visit in Croatia from the 7^th to 9^th of March 2014, Gustav Adolf Werk’s (GAW) president, Dr. Wilhelm Hüffmeier, and the organization’s general secretary, Enno Haaks, visited the RCCC’s congregations. We would like to express our satisfaction that after the meeting and negotiations between GAW’s representatives and the RCCC leadership, Bishop Lajos Csáti Szabó and Lay President József Kel, it was decided that the organization has re-established contact with the RCCC and will support the service of the local reformed community. We were also informed that GAW would like to formally clarify its relationship with the reformed community of Croatia in this painful situation, which is still being affected by previous divisions. In this respect, the presidency of the General Convent supports GAW’s decision whereas the RCCC is recognised as the absolute representative of the reformed people in Croatia.

With gratitude to God, we received the report of GAW’s president and general secretary and their positive decision regarding the RCCC. We co-operate with GAW and other international organizations with a prayerful heart, in order to help in the renewal of the reformed community in Croatia still suffering from the trials of history and inner divisions.