Protesting Reformed Church Members: "We are Ashamed Daily for Being Members of the Church Led by Zoltán Balog"
In an open letter, protesters demand the resignation of the bishop involved in a grace scandal.
An open letter was delivered to the Christian portal Szemlélek by Reformed individuals demanding the removal of Zoltán Balog from his episcopal position. The letter was prompted by the spring session of the Synod of the Reformed Church in Hungary, scheduled for April 24-25, where the agenda does not currently include the question of Zoltán Balog's suitability for his bishopric, one of the main characters in the grace scandal.
In the open letter, a dismissed Reformed cantor and believer companions, representing thousands of protesters - the portal reports - ask every participant of the synod to stand up for Christian values. They recall that the Synod's Executive Council questioned the style and jurisdiction of the speakers instead of addressing the substantive questions. They write this does not testify to Christian humility since the higher the level of leadership, the greater its visibility and, concurrently, the level of tolerance required to accept criticism.
Continuing, they state:
According to the signatories, all signs indicate that the church has learned nothing from the events, and Balog "after a seemingly tactical retreat, shamefully remains our church's omnipotent leader". As known, Zoltán Balog reluctantly resigned from his position as synodal president of the Reformed Church after his role in the grace scandal started to completely backfire. However, he has since retained his episcopal position.
Bishop Károly Fekete of the Tiszántúli Reformed Church District, which has most Reformed believers in its ranks, has repeatedly called for Zoltán Balog's resignation. Bishop Dániel Pásztor of Tiszáninnen also reportedly shares a closer standpoint with Károly Fekete, while József Steinbach, after the scandal broke, mentioned that if Balog Zoltán was good when he secured support for the church, he should also be considered good "in these harder times".
Thus, the signatories of the open letter believe that the frightened members of the synod "watch from the sidelines as decisions are made over their heads about how to vote." They also recalled that contrary to order, not the new synodal president but Zoltán Balog will represent the sponsor, the church, at the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church. So, they add, not even appearances are being maintained.
Therefore, they stated, they will not accept this, the church should not become intertwined with any political side and thus compromise itself. They would seek to have Zoltán Balog removed from his position through the Synodal Court and have initiated proceedings to this end.
"Our message is clear. The Balog case, unless those involved awaken, will stay with us for years. Here, newer and newer cases from Balog Bishop's past and present will continuously emerge. We will not yield to evil financial temptations, the pressure of power, and we will not let these cases be swept under the rug either," they concluded.