Mindszenty, József

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[[Image:CardinalMindszenty.jpg|thumb|right|200 px|Statue of Cardinal Mindszenty, [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick, NJ]]]]
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[[Image:Mindszenty.jpg|thumb|right|200 px|Mindszenty monument at Csákánydoroszló, Hungary]]
'''József [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] Mindszenty''' (March 29 1892—May 6 1975) was the head of the Catholic Church of Hundardy during the often brutal [[Stalinist]] [[persecution]]. An opponent of both Fascism and Communism, he was elevated to the [[College of Cardinals]] by [[Pope Pius XII]] February 18, 1946.  
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'''[[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] József Mindszenty''' (March 29, 1892 - May 6, 1975) was the head of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] of [[Hungary]] during the [[Cold War]], whose trial and imprisonment become an international symbol of brutal [[Stalinist]] [[persecution]].
  
After he refused to permit the Catholic schools of Hungary to be secularized the Communist government arrested him on charges of treason. Sentenced to life imprisonment in 1949 after a show trial tainted by a confession under torture, generating world-wide condemnations including a resolution by the [[United Nations]] in his favor. He remained in prison until the Hungarian uprising of 1956 and later sought asylum in the U.S. embassy in Budapest, where he remained for another 15 years.
+
An opponent of both [[Fascism]] and [[Communism]], he was elevated to the [[College of Cardinals]] by [[Pope Pius XII]] on February 18, 1946. After he refused to permit the Catholic schools of Hungary to be secularized, the Communist government arrested him on charges of [[treason]]. Sentenced to life imprisonment in 1949 after a [[show trial]] tainted by a coerced confession, his conviction generated world-wide condemnations. He remained in prison until the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956|Hungarian uprising of 1956]] and later sought [[asylum]] in the U.S. embassy in [[Budapest]], where he remained for another 15 years.
 
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{{toc}}
He became known as a steadfast supporter of religious freedom and opponent of [[Communism]] in Hungary.
+
Despite struggles with the [[Vatican]], which sought to improve relations with the [[Soviet bloc]] during the pontificate of Pope [[Paul VI]], Mindszenty remained a popular figure throughout the [[Catholic Church]] after his release. Today, he is widely considered as a possible candidate for future [[sainthood]].
  
 
==Early years==
 
==Early years==
 +
[[Image:Esztergom Mindszenty Museum-Personal belongings.JPG|thumb|Some of Mindszenty's personal belongings.]]
 +
Mindszenty was born '''József Pehm''' on March 29, 1892, in [[Csehimindszent]], [[Austria-Hungary]]. He became a [[priest]] on June 12, 1915. In 1917, the first of his books, ''Motherhood,'' was published. This theme would be a persistent one in his theology, and he later penned a work entitled ''The Face of the Heavenly Mother,'' published in English in 1951.
  
Mindszenty was born '''József Pehm''' on March 29 1892, in [[Csehimindszent]], [[Austria-Hungary]]. He became a [[priest]] on June 12, 1915. In 1917 the first of his books, ''Motherhood'', was published. He was arrested under the socialist [[Mihály Károlyi]] government on February 9 1919, until the end of the communist [[Béla Kun]] government on July 31.
+
Mindszenty also showed an interest in politics and an opposition to [[totalitarianism]] early in his career. He was arrested under the socialist [[Mihály Károlyi]] government on February 9, 1919, and remained in prison until the end of the Communist [[Béla Kun]] regime on July 31 of that year.
  
He adopted his new name – part of his home village's name – in 1941.
+
He adopted his new name, Mindszenty—taken from the last two syllables of the name of his home village—in 1941. He also joined the [[Independent Smallholders' Party]] in this period, in opposition to the [[fascist]] [[Arrow Cross Party]]. On March 25, 1944, he was consecrated [[bishop of Veszprém]], considered a distinguished post because the town traditionally belonged to the queens of Hungary. With Hungary under fascist control, he was arrested on November 26, 1944, for his opposition to the Arrow Cross government, and charged with [[treason]]. In April 1945, he was released from prison.
He also joined the [[Independent Smallholders' Party]] in this period, in opposition to the [[fascist]] [[Arrow Cross Party]]. On March 25, 1944, he was consecrated [[bishop of Veszprém]], considered a distinguished post because the town traditionally belonged to the queens of Hungary. With Hungary under fascist control, was arrested on November 26, 1944, this time for his opposition to the Arrow Cross government, and charged with treason. In April 1945, he was released from prison.
 
  
 
==Church leader and opposition to communism==
 
==Church leader and opposition to communism==
On September 15, 1945 Mindszenty was appointed [[Primate (religion)|Primate]] of Hungary and [[Archdiocese of Esztergom|Archbishop of Esztergom]], the seat of the head of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] in Hungary. On February 18, 1946 he was elevated to the office of [[cardinal]] by [[Pope Pius XII]] and associated with the [[List of titular churches in Rome|titular church]] of ''[[Santo Stefano Rotondo]]'' in [[Rome]].
+
On September 15, 1945, Mindszenty was appointed [[Primate (religion)|Primate]] of Hungary and [[Archdiocese of Esztergom|Archbishop of Esztergom]], the seat of the head of Hungary's [[Roman Catholic Church]]. On February 18, 1946, he was elevated to the office of [[cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]] by [[Pope Pius XII]] and associated with the [[List of titular churches in Rome|titular church]] of ''[[Santo Stefano Rotondo]]'' in [[Rome]].
  
In 1948, the Communist government of Hungary banned religious orders, and on December 26 1948, Mindszenty was arrested and accused of [[treason]], [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] and offenses against the current, Soviet-insired laws of Hungary. Knowing of the possibility of his arrest he earlier wrote a note to the effect that he had not been involved in any conspiracy and that any confession he would make would be the result of duress. While he was in prison, he was relentlessly tortured in order to coerce a confession for "crimes against the state."
+
The new Communist government of [[Hungary]] proved to be no more amenable to Mindszenty than the previous fascist government had been. It banned religious orders and attempted to secularize Hungary's many Catholic schools, policies Mindszenty strongly resisted. On December 26, 1948, Mindszenty was arrested and accused of [[treason]], [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]], and offenses against the current Soviet-inspired laws of Hungary. Knowing of the possibility of his arrest, he earlier wrote a note to the effect that he had not been involved in any conspiracy and that any confession he would make would be the result of duress.
 +
[[Image:Stalin statue head.jpg|thumb|250px|Hungarians rejoice after toppling a huge statue of Stalin during the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956]].]]
  
His trial began on February 3 1949. On February 8, Mindszenty was sentenced to life imprisonment for treason against the Hungarian government. The Communists released what they called a "Yellow Book," a listing of confessions extorted from Mindszenty under torture. At his trial he declared the note he had written about statements made under duress to be null and void.
+
While Mindszenty was in prison, he was relentlessly tortured in order to coerce a confession for "crimes against the state." His trial began on February 3, 1949. On February 8, Mindszenty was sentenced to life imprisonment for treason. The Communists released what they called a "Yellow Book," a listing of confessions extorted from Mindszenty, including a declaration that the note written about statements made under duress should be considered null and void.
  
On February 12 1949, Pope [[Pius XII]] announced the [[excommunication]] of all persons involved in the trial and conviction of Mindszenty. In his apostolic epistle ''[[Acerrimo Moerore]]'', the pope publicly expressed his solidarity with the suffering Hungarian Church and condemned the mistreatment and jailing of Mindszenty, making the cardinal an international symbol of opposition to Communist totalitarianism.
+
The trial produced a world-wide outcry as a transparent violation of [[human rights]]. On February 12, 1949, Pope [[Pius XII]] announced the [[excommunication]] of all persons involved in the conviction of Mindszenty. In his apostolic epistle ''[[Acerrimo Moerore]],'' the pope publicly expressed his solidarity with the suffering Hungarian Church and condemned the mistreatment and jailing of Mindszenty. Among Catholics, Protestants, and non-Christians alike, the cardinal had become an international symbol of opposition to Communist [[totalitarianism]].
  
During the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956|Hungarian Revolution]], Mindszenty was released from prison on October 30 1956 and returned to [[Budapest]] the next day. On November 2, he praised the insurgents, and on the following day he made a radio broadcast in favor of recent developments.
+
During the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956|Hungarian Revolution]], Mindszenty was released from prison on October 30, 1956, and returned to [[Budapest]] the next day. On November 2, he praised the insurgents, and on the following day he made a [[radio]] broadcast in favor of recent developments.
  
==Confinement at the US embassy==
+
==Confinement at the U.S. embassy==
When the [[Soviet Union|Soviets]] [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956|invaded Hungary]] again on November 4, Mindszenty sought democratic leader [[Imre Nagy]]'s advice, and was granted [[political asylum]] at the [[United States|US]] [[embassy]] in Budapest. Mindszenty lived for the next 15 years in the US embassy, at first because faced immediate and certain arrest and later because he refused to leave the country until the Hungarian government rescinded his conviction. His status as a prisoner of conscience, meanwhile, was becoming an embarrassment to the Vatican, which sought to improve relations with the Hungarian government. Mindszenty's presence also inconvenienced the US government, because the Budapest embassy was already overcrowded, his quarters took valuable floor space and a permit for expansion could not be obtained from the Hungarian authorities unless the primate was expelled.
+
[[Image:CardinalMindszenty.jpg|thumb|Statue of Cardinal Mindszenty in New Brunswick, New Jersey]]
 +
When the [[Soviet Union|Soviets]] [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956|invaded Hungary]] again on November 4, Mindszenty sought democratic leader [[Imre Nagy]]'s advice and was granted [[political asylum]] at the [[United States|U.S.]] [[embassy]] in Budapest. He lived for the next 15 years in the U.S. embassy, at first because he faced immediate arrest if he left, and later because he refused to leave the country until the Hungarian government rescinded his conviction.
  
[[Image:Esztergom Mindszenty Museum.JPG|thumb|250px|The Mindszenty Museum in [[Esztergom]]]]
+
Mindszenty continued to be an international symbol of opposition to Communist brutality. His life and battle against the Soviet domination of [[Hungary]] and [[Communism]] were the subject of the 1950 film, ''[[Guilty of Treason]],'' based in part on his personal papers and starring [[Charles Bickford]] as the cardinal. Numerous books, articles, and even [[comic books]] were published about his struggle throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
  
Eventually [[Pope Paul VI]] offered a compromise declaring Mindszenty a "victim of history" (instead of communism) and annulled the excommunication imposed on his political opponents. Mindszenty finally exited the embassy area on September 28, 1971. After a brief stay at the Vatican, he settled in [[Vienna, Austria]], as he took offense at Rome's advice that he should resign from the [[primacy]] of the Hungarian Roman Catholic Church in exchange for a Vatican-backed uncensored publication of his memoirs.  Although most bishops retire at or near age 75, Mindszenty continuously denied rumors of his resignation and pointed out that he was not canonically required to step down at the time. In a visit to the United States in 1973,  Mindszenty publicly thanked the United States for supporting his efforts against communism and gave his blessing to several anti-communist groups such as the Hungarian Freedom Fighters, the [[Freedom Leadership Foundation]], and the Catholic group named in his honor, the [[Cardinal Mindzenty Foundation]]. In December 1973, at the age of 82, Mindszenty was stripped of his titles by Pope [[Paul VI]], who declared the Hungarian cardinal's seat officially vacated, but refused to fill the seat while Mindszenty was still alive.
+
His status as a prisoner of conscience, meanwhile, was becoming an embarrassment to the [[Vatican]], which sought to improve relations with the Hungarian government. Mindszenty's presence also inconvenienced the U.S. government, because the Budapest embassy was already overcrowded, his quarters took valuable floor space, and a permit for expansion could not be obtained from the Hungarian authorities unless the primate was expelled. Eventually [[Pope Paul VI]] offered a compromise declaring Mindszenty a "victim of history" (instead of a victim of Communism) and annulled the [[excommunication]] imposed on those Catholics who had cooperated in the persecution of the cardinal. Mindszenty finally exited the embassy area on September 28, 1971.
  
Mindszenty died on May 6, 1975, at the age of 83, in exile in Vienna. In 1991, his remains were repatriated to [[Esztergom]] by the newly democratically elected government and buried in the [[Esztergom Basilica|basilica]] there.
+
After a brief stay at the Vatican, he settled in [[Vienna, Austria]], as he took offense at Rome's advice that he should resign from the [[primacy]] of the Hungarian Catholic Church in exchange for a Vatican-backed uncensored publication of his memoirs. Mindszenty continuously denied rumors of his resignation and pointed out that he was not canonically required to step down. In a visit to the United States in 1973, Mindszenty publicly thanked the U.S. government for supporting his efforts against Communism and gave his blessing to several anti-communist groups such as the [[Hungarian Freedom Fighters]], the [[Freedom Leadership Foundation]], and the Catholic group named in his honor, the [[Cardinal Mindzenty Foundation]].
 +
 
 +
With tensions between the cardinal and the Vatican becoming increasingly more apparent, Mindszenty was stripped of his titles by Pope [[Paul VI]] in December 1973, at the age of 82. The pope declared the Hungarian cardinal's seat officially vacated, but declined to fill the seat while Mindszenty was still alive. Mindszenty died in exile in Vienna on May 6, 1975, at the age of 83. In 1991, his remains were repatriated to [[Esztergom]] by the newly democratically-elected government and buried with honor in the [[Esztergom Basilica|basilica]] there.
  
 
==Legacy==
 
==Legacy==
[[Image:Mindszenty-Providencia.JPG|thumb|250px|Memorial to Mindszenty in Santiago, [[Chile]]]]
+
[[Image:Mindszenty-Providencia.JPG|thumb|200px|Memorial to Mindszenty in Santiago, [[Chile]].]]
In early 1976 the pope created bishop [[László Lékai]] to be the primate of Hungary, ending a long struggle with the communist government. Lékai turned out to be quite cordial towards the Kádár government.
+
Mindszenty's trial is considered one of the classic examples of a "[[show trial]]" based on a forced confession by Soviet authorities during the [[Stalin]]ist years. Instead of exposing him as a "counter-revolutionary," it became a rallying point of opposition for the Hungarian emigre community and [[human rights]] groups throughout the early years of the [[Cold War]].
 
 
Mindszenty is widely admired in modern-day Hungary, and no one denies his courage in opposing the Nazi and [[Arrow Cross Party|Nyilas]] gangs, or his resolve during his confinement. However, to his critics on the left, Mindszenty is seen as the archetypal figure of "clerical reaction."  The pro-Soviet government of [[János Kádár]] used his 1956 support of the Hungarian Revolution as "proof" of dominant "clerical-imperialist" influence in the October 1956 events and as evidence that the uprising was "counter-revolutionary" in nature. His contemporary detractors point out that he continued to use the feudal title of [[prince-primate]] even after the Hungarian parliament outlawed the use of noble titles 1946 parliament. Like the rest of the Catholic hierarchy of the time, he did not believe in a [[separation of church and state]] and fought fiercely against secularization of church-run primary and [[secondary school]]s. His alleged aristocratic attitude and continued claims for compensation for the nationalization of church-owned farmlands alienated some groups of the Hungarian society, which was composed of a majority of agricultural workers at the time. He also expressed opinions in opposition to the reforms of Vatican II. <ref>Chip Berlet, "Cardinal Mindszenty: Heroic Anti-Communist or Anti-Semite or Both?" ''The St. Louis Journalism Review'', Vol. 16, No. 105, April 1988.</ref>
 
  
Despite his conservatism, however, Mindszenty remains a potent symbol of opposition to Nazism and Communism, and a great example of resistance to totalitarian repression of religious freedom.
+
In 1976, [[Pope Paul VI]] appointed bishop [[László Lékai]] to be the primate of Hungary, ending a long struggle with the Communist government. Lékai, not unexpectedly, turned out to be quite cordial toward the Hungarian government.
  
A commemorative statue of Cardinal Mindszenty stands in at St. Ladislaus Church in [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick]], [[New Jersey]], [[United States|U.S.]] on Somerset Street. He is also remembered in [[Chile]], with a memorial in the same park (Parque Bustamante) in which a monument to the martyrs of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution stands.
+
Mindszenty's contemporary detractors point out that he continued to use the feudal title of [[prince-primate]] even after the Hungarian parliament outlawed the use of noble titles. Like the rest of the Catholic [[hierarchy]] of the time, he did not believe in a [[separation of church and state]] and fought fiercely against secularization of church-run primary and [[secondary school]]s.
  
His beatification and eventual canonization has been on the agenda of Hungarian Catholic church ever since Communism fell in 1989. The pontificate of [[Pope Benedict XVI]] is seen by many analysts as representing an outstanding opportunity for Mindszenty to be recognized as a saint, since the pope has commented favorably on Mindszenty's calling.
+
Despite his [[conservatism]], however, Mindszenty remains a potent symbol of opposition to [[Nazism]] and [[Communism]], and a great example of resistance to the totalitarian repression of [[religious freedom]]. Today, he is widely admired in Hungary, and even his critics admit his courage in opposing the Nazi regime, his efforts on behalf of the persecuted [[Catholic Church]] during the Stalinist era, and his resolve during his confinement.
  
==In Film==
+
In [[Esztergom]], his life is commemorated at the [[Christian Museum]]'s Mindszenty Memorial Exhibition, and several other monuments are dedicated to him in other locations in Hungary. A commemorative statue of Mindszenty stands at St. Ladislaus Church in [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick]], [[New Jersey]] on Somerset Street. He is also remembered in [[Chile]], with a memorial in the same park (Parque Bustamante) in which a monument to the martyrs of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution stands.  
Mindszenty's life and battle against the Soviet dommination of [[Hungary]] and [[Communism]] were the subject of the 1950 film [[Guilty of Treason]] which was, in part, based on his personal papers and starred [[Charles Bickford]] as the Cardinal.
 
  
==Notes==
+
His beatification and eventual [[canonization]] has been on the agenda of the Hungarian Catholic Church ever since Communism fell in 1989. The pontificate of [[Pope Benedict XVI]] is seen by many analysts as representing an outstanding opportunity for Mindszenty to be recognized as a [[saint]], since the pope has commented favorably on Mindszenty's calling.
{{reflist}}
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
*Aymar, Brandt, and Edward Sagarin. ''A Pictorial History of the World's Great Trials: From Socrates to Jean Harris''. New York: Bonanza Books, 1985. ISBN 9780517467930
+
* Aymar, Brandt, and Edward Sagarin. ''A Pictorial History of the World's Great Trials: From Socrates to Jean Harris''. New York: Bonanza Books, 1985. ISBN 9780517467930.
*Közi-Horváth, József. ''Cardinal Mindszenty: Confessor and Martyr of Our Time''. Chicester: Aid to the Church in Need (UK), 1979. ISBN 9780851727318
+
* Közi-Horváth, József. ''Cardinal Mindszenty: Confessor and Martyr of Our Time''. Chicester: Aid to the Church in Need (UK), 1979. ISBN 9780851727318.
*Mindszenty, József. ''Memoirs''. New York: Macmillan, 1974. ISBN 9780025850507
+
* Mindszenty, József. ''Memoirs''. New York: Macmillan, 1974. ISBN 9780025850507.
*________________. ''The Face of the Heavenly Mother''. Dublin: Clonmore & Reynolds Ltd, 1955. {{OCLC|17968992}}
+
*. ''The Face of the Heavenly Mother''. Dublin: Clonmore & Reynolds Ltd, 1955. {{OCLC|17968992}}
*Rohr, Janelle. ''Eastern Europe: Opposing Viewpoints''. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1990. ISBN 9780899084558
+
* Rohr, Janelle. ''Eastern Europe: Opposing Viewpoints''. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1990. ISBN 9780899084558.
*Vecsey, Josef, and Phyllis Schlafly. ''Mindszenty the Man''. St. Louis: Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation, 1972. {{OCLC|579365}}
+
* Vecsey, Josef, and Phyllis Schlafly. ''Mindszenty the Man''. St. Louis: Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation, 1972. {{OCLC|579365}}
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
* [http://www.mindszenty.org/  The Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation honors the late Cardinal, a saintly hero, who refused to compromise with the evils of Communism and endured 23 years of imprisonment and isolation.]
+
All links retrieved October 4, 2022.
 +
*[http://www.mindszenty.org/  The Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation]
  
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mindszenty, Jozsef}}
 
  
 
[[Category:religion]]
 
[[Category:religion]]

Latest revision as of 21:45, 4 October 2022

Mindszenty monument at Csákánydoroszló, Hungary

Cardinal József Mindszenty (March 29, 1892 - May 6, 1975) was the head of the Roman Catholic Church of Hungary during the Cold War, whose trial and imprisonment become an international symbol of brutal Stalinist persecution.

An opponent of both Fascism and Communism, he was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Pius XII on February 18, 1946. After he refused to permit the Catholic schools of Hungary to be secularized, the Communist government arrested him on charges of treason. Sentenced to life imprisonment in 1949 after a show trial tainted by a coerced confession, his conviction generated world-wide condemnations. He remained in prison until the Hungarian uprising of 1956 and later sought asylum in the U.S. embassy in Budapest, where he remained for another 15 years.

Despite struggles with the Vatican, which sought to improve relations with the Soviet bloc during the pontificate of Pope Paul VI, Mindszenty remained a popular figure throughout the Catholic Church after his release. Today, he is widely considered as a possible candidate for future sainthood.

Early years

Some of Mindszenty's personal belongings.

Mindszenty was born József Pehm on March 29, 1892, in Csehimindszent, Austria-Hungary. He became a priest on June 12, 1915. In 1917, the first of his books, Motherhood, was published. This theme would be a persistent one in his theology, and he later penned a work entitled The Face of the Heavenly Mother, published in English in 1951.

Mindszenty also showed an interest in politics and an opposition to totalitarianism early in his career. He was arrested under the socialist Mihály Károlyi government on February 9, 1919, and remained in prison until the end of the Communist Béla Kun regime on July 31 of that year.

He adopted his new name, Mindszenty—taken from the last two syllables of the name of his home village—in 1941. He also joined the Independent Smallholders' Party in this period, in opposition to the fascist Arrow Cross Party. On March 25, 1944, he was consecrated bishop of Veszprém, considered a distinguished post because the town traditionally belonged to the queens of Hungary. With Hungary under fascist control, he was arrested on November 26, 1944, for his opposition to the Arrow Cross government, and charged with treason. In April 1945, he was released from prison.

Church leader and opposition to communism

On September 15, 1945, Mindszenty was appointed Primate of Hungary and Archbishop of Esztergom, the seat of the head of Hungary's Roman Catholic Church. On February 18, 1946, he was elevated to the office of cardinal by Pope Pius XII and associated with the titular church of Santo Stefano Rotondo in Rome.

The new Communist government of Hungary proved to be no more amenable to Mindszenty than the previous fascist government had been. It banned religious orders and attempted to secularize Hungary's many Catholic schools, policies Mindszenty strongly resisted. On December 26, 1948, Mindszenty was arrested and accused of treason, conspiracy, and offenses against the current Soviet-inspired laws of Hungary. Knowing of the possibility of his arrest, he earlier wrote a note to the effect that he had not been involved in any conspiracy and that any confession he would make would be the result of duress.

Hungarians rejoice after toppling a huge statue of Stalin during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

While Mindszenty was in prison, he was relentlessly tortured in order to coerce a confession for "crimes against the state." His trial began on February 3, 1949. On February 8, Mindszenty was sentenced to life imprisonment for treason. The Communists released what they called a "Yellow Book," a listing of confessions extorted from Mindszenty, including a declaration that the note written about statements made under duress should be considered null and void.

The trial produced a world-wide outcry as a transparent violation of human rights. On February 12, 1949, Pope Pius XII announced the excommunication of all persons involved in the conviction of Mindszenty. In his apostolic epistle Acerrimo Moerore, the pope publicly expressed his solidarity with the suffering Hungarian Church and condemned the mistreatment and jailing of Mindszenty. Among Catholics, Protestants, and non-Christians alike, the cardinal had become an international symbol of opposition to Communist totalitarianism.

During the Hungarian Revolution, Mindszenty was released from prison on October 30, 1956, and returned to Budapest the next day. On November 2, he praised the insurgents, and on the following day he made a radio broadcast in favor of recent developments.

Confinement at the U.S. embassy

Statue of Cardinal Mindszenty in New Brunswick, New Jersey

When the Soviets invaded Hungary again on November 4, Mindszenty sought democratic leader Imre Nagy's advice and was granted political asylum at the U.S. embassy in Budapest. He lived for the next 15 years in the U.S. embassy, at first because he faced immediate arrest if he left, and later because he refused to leave the country until the Hungarian government rescinded his conviction.

Mindszenty continued to be an international symbol of opposition to Communist brutality. His life and battle against the Soviet domination of Hungary and Communism were the subject of the 1950 film, Guilty of Treason, based in part on his personal papers and starring Charles Bickford as the cardinal. Numerous books, articles, and even comic books were published about his struggle throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

His status as a prisoner of conscience, meanwhile, was becoming an embarrassment to the Vatican, which sought to improve relations with the Hungarian government. Mindszenty's presence also inconvenienced the U.S. government, because the Budapest embassy was already overcrowded, his quarters took valuable floor space, and a permit for expansion could not be obtained from the Hungarian authorities unless the primate was expelled. Eventually Pope Paul VI offered a compromise declaring Mindszenty a "victim of history" (instead of a victim of Communism) and annulled the excommunication imposed on those Catholics who had cooperated in the persecution of the cardinal. Mindszenty finally exited the embassy area on September 28, 1971.

After a brief stay at the Vatican, he settled in Vienna, Austria, as he took offense at Rome's advice that he should resign from the primacy of the Hungarian Catholic Church in exchange for a Vatican-backed uncensored publication of his memoirs. Mindszenty continuously denied rumors of his resignation and pointed out that he was not canonically required to step down. In a visit to the United States in 1973, Mindszenty publicly thanked the U.S. government for supporting his efforts against Communism and gave his blessing to several anti-communist groups such as the Hungarian Freedom Fighters, the Freedom Leadership Foundation, and the Catholic group named in his honor, the Cardinal Mindzenty Foundation.

With tensions between the cardinal and the Vatican becoming increasingly more apparent, Mindszenty was stripped of his titles by Pope Paul VI in December 1973, at the age of 82. The pope declared the Hungarian cardinal's seat officially vacated, but declined to fill the seat while Mindszenty was still alive. Mindszenty died in exile in Vienna on May 6, 1975, at the age of 83. In 1991, his remains were repatriated to Esztergom by the newly democratically-elected government and buried with honor in the basilica there.

Legacy

Memorial to Mindszenty in Santiago, Chile.

Mindszenty's trial is considered one of the classic examples of a "show trial" based on a forced confession by Soviet authorities during the Stalinist years. Instead of exposing him as a "counter-revolutionary," it became a rallying point of opposition for the Hungarian emigre community and human rights groups throughout the early years of the Cold War.

In 1976, Pope Paul VI appointed bishop László Lékai to be the primate of Hungary, ending a long struggle with the Communist government. Lékai, not unexpectedly, turned out to be quite cordial toward the Hungarian government.

Mindszenty's contemporary detractors point out that he continued to use the feudal title of prince-primate even after the Hungarian parliament outlawed the use of noble titles. Like the rest of the Catholic hierarchy of the time, he did not believe in a separation of church and state and fought fiercely against secularization of church-run primary and secondary schools.

Despite his conservatism, however, Mindszenty remains a potent symbol of opposition to Nazism and Communism, and a great example of resistance to the totalitarian repression of religious freedom. Today, he is widely admired in Hungary, and even his critics admit his courage in opposing the Nazi regime, his efforts on behalf of the persecuted Catholic Church during the Stalinist era, and his resolve during his confinement.

In Esztergom, his life is commemorated at the Christian Museum's Mindszenty Memorial Exhibition, and several other monuments are dedicated to him in other locations in Hungary. A commemorative statue of Mindszenty stands at St. Ladislaus Church in New Brunswick, New Jersey on Somerset Street. He is also remembered in Chile, with a memorial in the same park (Parque Bustamante) in which a monument to the martyrs of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution stands.

His beatification and eventual canonization has been on the agenda of the Hungarian Catholic Church ever since Communism fell in 1989. The pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI is seen by many analysts as representing an outstanding opportunity for Mindszenty to be recognized as a saint, since the pope has commented favorably on Mindszenty's calling.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Aymar, Brandt, and Edward Sagarin. A Pictorial History of the World's Great Trials: From Socrates to Jean Harris. New York: Bonanza Books, 1985. ISBN 9780517467930.
  • Közi-Horváth, József. Cardinal Mindszenty: Confessor and Martyr of Our Time. Chicester: Aid to the Church in Need (UK), 1979. ISBN 9780851727318.
  • Mindszenty, József. Memoirs. New York: Macmillan, 1974. ISBN 9780025850507.
  • —. The Face of the Heavenly Mother. Dublin: Clonmore & Reynolds Ltd, 1955. OCLC 17968992
  • Rohr, Janelle. Eastern Europe: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1990. ISBN 9780899084558.
  • Vecsey, Josef, and Phyllis Schlafly. Mindszenty the Man. St. Louis: Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation, 1972. OCLC 579365

External links

All links retrieved October 4, 2022.

Credits

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