Historica Olomucensia

The study deals with the personality of the Greek-Catholic Apostolic Administrator in Prešov Dionýz Njaradi in 1922–1927. In the context of political-religious conditions, it analyzes his personality in the reflection of Church dignitaries and Czechoslovak-Vatikan relations which interprets in the milieu of Slovak Catholicism in the Church history of Czechoslovakia of the 1920s. Njaradi’s activities in the 1920s can be perceived mainly positively. In accordance with the will of Slovak bishops and in accordance with the Cyril and Methodius tradition he stopped anti-Christian agitation, consolidated and renewed the Church structure, organized the clergy meeting, contributed to the development of Church education, and supported the increase in the quantity and quality of the Catholic press even if voices culminating him out of excessive support of the Malorussian (Ukrainian) direction or even Hungarianism. The text is primarily based on the funds of Vatican archives which it confronts with the sources of other archives and literature, especially of Slovak origin. Because it is a topic in Czech and Slovak historiography so far unprocessed the source base prevails whose potential will certainly be used in the future for a wider analysis of the attitudes of Slovak bishops in Czechoslovakia after 1918.

Keywords: eparchy of Prešov; Catholic Church; Holy See; Church history; Czechoslovakia