Jertfă pentru unitate. Preoții bănățeni în anii Marelui Război
Sacrifice for Unity: The Priests of Banat During the Great War

Summary/Abstract: The outbreak of the First World War caused a radicalization of communities in their national attitudes. Banat Romanians felt drawn into a confrontation in which they had no stake, a war that was not their own. Caught between official state policy and the realities on the ground, many priests suffered. After the outbreak of the war, the authorities turned their attention to the towns near Romania. In some localities, priests, teachers, and other village leaders were accused of rebellion and sent to prison. The hierarchs of Arad and Caransebeș often made efforts to free the prisoners and justified the release by the need to continue the activities in the parishes and schools. This was possible until Romania’s entry into the war on the side of the Entente in 1916, after which the release requests signed by the bishops were automatically rejected. Supervision of priests became very strict, and even normal gestures or behavior were considered hostile. Priests were arrested and imprisoned simply for greeting in Romanian or for urging the faithful to pray for the prosperity of their nation. Punishments ranged from house arrest to arrest, imprisonment, and deportation to camps in western Hungary.

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