The Relationship Between Parish Priest Ferenc Salati and Bishop Áron Márton

Bishop Áron Márton treated his priests with great care and pastoral sensitivity. In a spirit of service, he tried to direct their pastoral work for the benefit of the diocese. However, he also had careerist and scheming priests, among whom Ferenc Salati (1890-1966), the parish priest of Szászrégen/Sékelylengyelfalva, stood out. Áron Márton, as a good shepherd of his priests, would have wished that Fr. Salati could serve Jesus Christ and the cause of the Church without the tensions that he created with his parishioners and his bishop. Therefore, at the beginning of his episcopate, he was lenient towards him and even tolerated his rudeness for the sake of peace. But this was in vain, for Ferenc Salati was such a teasing clergyman that he rejected even Bishop Áron Márton, who approached him with understanding and affection, and made abusive and slanderous remarks. It was only when illness broke him down that he accepted Bishop Márton Áron's approach. It could be argued that this is a psychological case, and for this reason we think it more appropriate to recall the development of his priestly life and work than to analyse it psychologically.