As highlighted in our previous newsletter regarding the eviction of the Premonstratensian abbot in Oradea, the developments that have since unfolded further underscore the gravity of the situation. They make it even clearer that this case is not merely a legal dispute, but also a matter of the enforcement of rule‑of‑law guarantees and the genuine protection of historical church communities.
As is known, the case of the Oradea Premonstratensian monastery has generated significant public and ecclesiastical attention in recent months. The authorities previously initiated the eviction of the order’s abbot, citing a final court ruling and a public‑interest investment, raising serious concerns about the legal security of historical church communities. At the heart of the conflict lies the municipality’s position that both the monastery and the adjoining school building are the property of the city, a stance it seeks to reinforce through EU‑funded renovation plans.
On 29 January, at the request of the municipality, the Oradea court ordered the eviction of Abbot Rudolf Anzelm Fejes, provost‑prelate of Váradhegyfok. The municipality had already called on the abbot last May to vacate the Premonstratensian monastery, arguing that, according to an earlier court ruling, the property—formerly the Premonstratensian high school, now the Mihai Eminescu National College—belongs to the city and is scheduled for renovation.
Since the abbot did not comply with the request, the city leadership turned to the court, which ordered the eviction. The decision was enforceable despite not being final, as the abbot has filed an appeal.
Public outrage intensified after municipal representatives entered the monastery at dawn on Wednesday by breaking through a wall into the rooms the municipality claims as its own. According to the Váradhegyfok Premonstratensian Provostry, at 5 a.m. the deputy head of the municipality’s real estate department and several staff members began clearing the premises by breaking through the wall from the side of the former Premonstratensian high school, today’s Mihai Eminescu National College.
Footage circulating on social media shows Abbot Rudolf Anzelm Fejes arguing with police officers at the scene. He stated that he had called the police himself after waking up to the noise, as he had received no prior notification of the intervention. The police, however, argued that the legal dispute had been ongoing for some time and that the municipality had previously indicated its intention to take possession.
The Mikó Imre Minority Rights Protection Service expresses profound indignation and firmly condemns the early‑morning intervention, as it involved breaking through the building’s wall without proper prior notification or due caution, gravely violating the fundamental requirements of proportionality and lawful procedure.
Hunor Kelemen, president of the RMDSZ, also reacted to the evacuation of the Premonstratensian monastery. He stated: “The dawn intrusion carried out by breaking through a wall undermines the Hungarian community’s sense of security, and it is completely unacceptable that municipal employees entered the building of a historical church institution at dawn, in secret, by breaking through a wall. No municipality should behave like thieves in the night.”
The RMDSZ president emphasized that the alliance continues to propose a compromise solution, but this requires the cooperation of all parties involved. In this context, Hunor Kelemen recalled the compromise previously offered by the municipality to the Premonstratensian order, which “included partial transfer of ownership of of the currently used parts of the property, the granting of usage rights, renovation, and the possibility of constructing a new building section.” He stressed that even when the municipality holds court decisions in its favour, it must act with restraint and with full consideration of the consequences for the community.
Kelemen Hunor also attached the earlier statement of the RMDSZ Bihor County organization, which declared it unacceptable for authorities to enter a church accompanied by law‑enforcement forces, even on the basis of a court order.
In its statement, the RMDSZ Bihor County organization also pointed out that neither the RMDSZ nor its legal representatives “have ever received a mandate in the past 36 years” from the Oradea Premonstratensian order to represent it in property‑related legal matters. They added that while they do not question the goodwill of the lawyers mandated by the order, to their knowledge the court proceedings concerning the property in question have concluded with final rulings unfavourable to the order. According to the organization, resolving the situation must continue to be based on dialogue and on acknowledging legal realities.
According to Erika Benkő, head of the Mikó Imre Minority Rights Protection Service, “In recent months, our Service has maintained contact with the lawyer acting on behalf of the abbot, and we have sought to understand the case in detail so that, if a legal solution exists, we can assist. Unfortunately, at this time we do not have full access to the case files; we only have the information that has appeared in the public domain. We consider it essential that details of the case be known not only from the press, but from the actual legal documents. Nevertheless, I find the municipality’s conduct unacceptable and outrageous. To be honest, I have not seen the same zeal from the authorities when it came to removing the illegally placed crosses in the Úz Valley.”