Religion: Pressure

East of the Iron Curtain, Communists continued their steady pressure on Christians last week.

In Czechoslovakia, two Capuchin monks were arrested for "antistate activity." In the past fortnight 23 priests and nuns have been arrested.

In Hungary, the Ministry of the Interior belatedly announced the arrest of three leaders of the Lutheran church: Bishop Lajos Ordass (TIME, Sept. 13), Baron Albert Radvanszky and Sandor Vargha. The charges: disposing of "several hundred thousand dollars without the permission of the National Bank, and [selling] foreign currency on the black market."

No one in Budapest believed this charge. Hungarian Lutherans have never had a financial scandal. Hungarians merely recalled that last March, when the Communists demanded a Lutheran endorsement of their "people's democracy," the Lutherans had endorsed "Kossuth's democracy." Ever since, Lutherans have stubbornly resisted Communist efforts to take over their church.

Crowed the Budapest radio: "The Lutheran church is now led by Bishops Zoltan Turoczy and Josef Szabo, both trusted by the broad masses belonging to the church. An announcement regarding forthcoming elections within the Lutheran church will be published shortly."