Ján Dechet

Ján Dechet (28 June 1908 in Radošina – 10 June 1968 in Bratislava) was a Slovak Roman Catholic priest. As one of the left-wing nationalist "patriotic priests" who supported the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Dechet was appointed the bishop of Banská Bystrica by the Communist authorities in 1950, after the death of the previous bishop Andrej Škrábik. Dechet's appointment was caused by the Communist authorities forcing out the official successor of Škrábik out of office, as the Vatican failed to meet the government's demand to consult clerical appointments with the Communist authorities beforehand. Initially, the Vatican refused to recognize Dechet and he was excommunicated by the Holy See in 1950 . His excommunication was subsequently lifted in 1951, and his position was recognized by the Holy See. The Church started respecting the Communist government's demands afterwards.

History Starting in 1949, the Communist government of Slovakia sought to develop ties with the local Catholic clergy and gain their support. A considerable part of the Slovak clergy supported the Communists, influenced by left-wing nationalism which gave the pro-Communist priest the moniker of "patriotic priests". This tendency was mainly represented by Catholic priests such as Alexander Horák and Jozef Lukačovič. The "patriotic priests" were considered politically reliable, supportive of the Communist regime, and were entrusted with positions of administrative authority. Ján Dechet was also considered one of the "patriotic priests". Slovak bishops also issued a pastoral letter in which they refused to accept Dechet's appointment. In order to prevent Dechet from giving in to pressure and resigning, Slovak authorities organized a massive campaign in his support, organizing a delegation of workers from Podbrezová, which expressed its support of Dechet. Additionally, Slovak Communists appointed two other pro-Communist priests to Dechet to act as chancellor and secretary of the diocese, and assigned him extensive state protection. He died in 1968.