REZIGNACE PREŠOVSKÉHO ŘECKOKATOLICKÉHO BISKUPA ŠTEFANA NOVÁKA PO VZNIKU ČESKOSLOVENSKA NA PODZIM 1918.

The presented study deals with the personality of the Greek Catholic bishop of Prešov Štefan Novák, especially with his resignation from office after the establishment of Czechoslovakia in the autumn of 1918. In the context of changed political and religious conditions, it analyzes his personality in the reflection of Church dignitaries and Czechoslovak-Vatican relations which it interprets as unacceptable for the Slovak environment Catholicism after the fall of the Habsburg Monarchy. In the completely new socio-political conditions after 1918, Štefan Novák was criticized not only for his numerous absences and moral life but also for not being accepted by the priests and Christians of the diocese. When he offered to resign from his post after leaving the country in 1919, he understood this step primarily as an expression of loyalty in relation to the Holy See. In a broader context, his resignation contributed to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Czechoslovakia and the Holy See and made it possible to replace him in Prešov with a bishop who was able to address his diocese a better pastoral care with an emphasis on the Slovak Catholic element. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]