József Mindszenty
József Mindszenty (Hungarian pronunciation: [jo:ʒɛf mindsɛnti]; 29 March 1892 – 6 May 1975) was a Hungarian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Esztergom and leader of the Catholic Church in Hungary from 1945 to 1973. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, for five decades "he personified uncompromising opposition to fascism and communism in Hungary". During World War II, he was imprisoned by the pro-Nazi Arrow Cross Party. After the war, he opposed communism and communist persecution in his country. As a result, he was tortured and given a life sentence in a 1949 show trial that generated worldwide condemnation, including a United Nations resolution.
Venerable József Mindszenty | |
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Mindszenty in 1974 | |
| Archdiocese | Esztergom |
| Appointed | 2 October 1945 |
| Term ended | 19 December 1973 |
| Predecessor | Jusztinián György Serédi |
| Successor | László Lékai |
| Other post(s) | Cardinal Priest of Santo Stefano al Monte Celio (1946–1974) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 12 June 1915 by János Mikes |
| Consecration | 25 March 1944 by Jusztinián György Serédi |
| Created cardinal | 18 February 1946 by Pope Pius XII |
| Rank | Cardinal priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | József Pehm March 29, 1892 |
| Died | 6 May 1975 (aged 83) Vienna, Austria |
| Buried | Esztergom Basilica |
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| Motto | Pannonia Sacra |
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| Sainthood | |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Styles of József Mindszenty | |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Esztergom |
Ordination history of József Mindszenty | |||||||||||||||||||||
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After eight years in prison, Mindszenty was freed in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and granted political asylum by the United States embassy in Budapest. He lived there for the next fifteen years. He was finally allowed to leave the country in 1971, and died in exile in 1975 in Vienna, Austria.