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    STUDIA THEOLOGIA%20CATHOLICA - Issue no. 1 / 2008  
         
  Article:   GENERAL DE VILLE’S REPORT TO EMPRESS MARIA THERESIA ABOUT THE CONDITION OF THE ROMANIAN BELIEVERS FROM BIHOR COMITAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 18TH CENTURY.

Authors:  GHEORGHE GORUN. 		 
       
         
  Abstract:  General de Ville’s report to empress Maria Theresia about the condition of the Romanian believers from Bihor comitat in the middle of the 18th century. The document in discussion (completely published by the author), had a great impact on the history of the Romanian Uniate Church from Bihor. It dates from the year 1754, being preserved in the National Archives, Bihor county in the Roman Catholic bishopric fund. De Ville, an Austrian general in the service of empress Maria Teresia, was appointed member of a committee sent to Bihor county by the imperial Court to examine and to settle an going a dispute between the Roman Catholic bishop from Oradea and the Orthodox bishop from Arad; the object of the dispute being the essay to attract the uniate Romanians from northern Partium (Bihor, Satmar etc) to the Orthodox religion; the Roman Catholic bishop protecting the Uniates and their bishop Meletie Kovács. The committee had to examine the following issues: a. affiliation to the Uniate religion; b. to assure imperial protection to everyone; c. to make the uniates understand the advantages of their religion; d. to reassure them with regard that their quota and protect them against the feudal rulers. Being an outsider, general De Ville judged the things in a neutral way, following the general lines of the Imperial policy. He made considerations about the religious knowledge of both uniate and orthodox believers, on the professional skills of the priests, the dispute between the two confessions, the complains of the orthodox believers against the catholic ones, and about the activity carried on by both orthodox and catholic bishops. The general’s conclusions were concentrated in twelve points together with his propositions for solving the conflicting situation.  
         
     
         
         
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