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Mindszenty's Autobiography Contends He Fought Nazism
Jozsef Cardinal Mindszen-
ty's autobrography ("Mem-
oirs," Macmillan) is an en-
grossing and gripping story.
Though the cardinal is its
central figure, the backdrop
is Hungary and the Catholic
Church. It commences with
the cardinal's birth 83-years
ago on a farm owned by his
parents in Hungary, at that
time a part of the Dual Mon-
archy. Upon completing ele-
mentary and secondary
schools, Mindszenty entered
a Catholic theological sem-
inary from which he was
graduated in 1915 and or-
dained priest.
Shortly afterwards, he pub-
lished "The Mother" in two
volumes, a book dealing with
religious matters.
In 1919, the Communists
grabbed power in Hungary,
and Mindszenty was arrest-
ed.
The Communist regime,
headed by Bela Kun, lasted
only a few months, and im-
mediately after its collapse,
Mindszenty was released. He
then returned to his home
town where he assumed the
duties of parish priest. He
was 27-years old at that time.
Twenty-five years later, in
June, 1944, the Sztojaj Gov-
ernment (appointed by re-
gent Miklos Horthy) on or-
ders from Hitler decided to
confine the Jews in ghettos.
"The Hungarian bishops
responded with a vigorous
protest which they brought to
the attention of the faithful
and the public in a pastoral
letter. In that letter they
stated:
When innate rights, such as
the right to life, human dig-
nity, personal freedom, the
free exercise of religion, free-
dom of work, livelihood,
property, etc., or rights ac-
quired by legal means, are
unjustly prejudiced either by
individuals, by associations,
or even by the representa-
tives of the government, the
Hungarian bishops, as is
their duty, raise their pro-
testing voices and point out
that these rights are con-
fered not by individuals, not
by associations, not even by
representatives of govern-
ment, but by God Himself.
With the exception of a law-
ful and legally valid decision
by a magistrate, these rights
cannot be prejudiced or tak-
en away by any person and
any earthly power."
Mindszenty, at that time a
bishop, continues: "The Jews
of Budapest owe to this in-
tervention the fact that the
majority of them were saved
from death in the gas cham-
bers. After the bishops had
unequivocally announced
their opposition, church in-
stitutions and many cour-
ageous individual Christians
did their utmost to save bap-
tized and unbaptized Jews
from persecution.
"An inadvertent tribute to
their endeavors came from
the government commission-
er for Jewish affairs, who
stated in a report: 'Unfor-
tunately the clergy of all
ranks have taken first place
in the efforts to save the
Jews. They justify their ac-
tivities by appealing to the
commandment to love one's
neighbor'."
In 1944 the Nazis invaded
Hungary, and Ference Szal-
asi, the leader of the Fascist
Arrow Cross, _became pre-
mier. Ignoring the bishops'
protest, he ordered his men
to carry off from Veszprem
where Mindszenty was bish-
op, both baptized and unbap-
tized Jews. Having complet-
ed this brutal work, the local
Arrow Cross leader asked
the guardian of the Francis-
cans and, "concealing his
true motives, to say a Mass
and to have the Te Deum
sung on the following Sun-
day.
"He then put up posters on
all the walls announcing that
divine services would be held
in thanksgiving for the suc-
cessful liberation of the
town from the Jews." Bishop
Mindszenty when he found
this out forbade the guardian
to have the Mass and Te
Deum. For this defiance the
bishop was arrested, and
kept in jail until the arrival
of the Red Army early in
1945.
"Soon after the Red Army
settled, the Hungarian Com-
munists arrived." A provis-
ional parliament and govern-
ment were then formed. A
political police, patterned af-
ter the Russian was organ-
ized. Peoples' Courts to try
and convict for "war crimes"
and "crimes against the peo-
ple" were established. A
campaign to discredit nation-
al heroes was launched, and
Saint Stephen, King of Hun-
gary (11th cen.) who dedicat-
ed the land of Hungary "to
the mother of our Lord," was
the first of the great histor-
ical personages to be de-
nounced.
It should be pointed out
that in 1945 Pope Pius XII
appointed Bishop Mindszenty
archbishop and primate . of
Hungary, and in 1946 the
primate received the hat of
a cardinal.
The cardinal opposed com-
munistic atheistic ideaology,
and the establishment of a
republican form of govern-
ment. (It should be re-
marked that the Socialist
parties of Britain, the Low
Countries and the Scandin-
avian Countries are not op-
posed to limited monarchies.
A.W.)
The cardinal fought the
secularization of the schools
and the nationalization of the
Catholic schools. He de-
manded amnesty for political
prisoners. He worked for the
rehabilitation of Hungarian
citizens in Austrian and Ger-
man refugee camps. And he
fought many other battles,
too numerous to list here.
We must, however, record
one deed. On learning that
the Communists were about
to deport the Hungarian Ger-
mans, the bishop issued a
pastoral letter denouncing
this irreligious act. The first
two sentences read: "In the
past, we obeyed our Chris-
tian duty and spoke out to
protect both baptized and un-
baptized Jews who were
threatened with persecution.
Nor can we keep silent now;
for once again, people are
being persecuted in our coun-
try."
In the morning of Dec. 26,
1948, Jozsef Cardinal Minds-
zenty was arrested. He was
accused:
"1. Of being the leader of
an organization that was
planning the overthrow of
the government.
2. Of having engaged in
espionage against the Hun-
garian State.
3. Of having illegally used
foreign currencies."
For almost two weeks he
refused to sign the police
prepared "confession." For
this he was physically and
mentally tortured, drugged
and not allowed to sleep.
The Cardinal finally signed
the "confession," and a show
trial followed. The presiding
judge was a former member
of the Arrow Cross party.
The prosecutor, the other
judges and the defense law-
yer were agents of the police.
There were witnesses against
him, not for him. The ver-
dict was life imprisonment.
With a mastery of detail,
Cardinal Mindszenty de-
scribes his experiences dur-
ing the eight years of his im-
me until her death.
"She knew how to trace
me through that cruel world
of the communist prison sys-
tem. Never before had she
set foot in a government min-
istry. But now she went
straight to the heads of the
party, men who came to
power unjustly and illegally.
To make these calls was a
hard cross for her to bear.
But wherever she went, in
the ministry, in prison, in the
penitentiary, her bearing
testified to her spiritual
strength."
After eight years of im-
prisonment, Cardinal Minds-
zenty was freed during the
revolt in 1956. But after three
and a half days of freedom,
the Red Army suppressed
the uprising and the Car./
dinal, to save his life, fled \
to the American Embassy <
where he found asylum for
15 years.
At 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 29,
1971, in accordance of an
agreement between the Vati-
can and the Hungarian Gov-
ernment, Jozsef Cardinal
Mindszenty left the embassy(
and went into exile.
Jozsef Cardinal 1VP- iszen-
ty's autobiography, ,Ther
we agree or disagree 'with
the philosophy and_ actions of
its author, is a tai
suf-
fering, bravery, p
rver-
ance, and faith in God.
62—Friday, Nov. 29, 1974
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
By ALLEN A. WARSEN
prisonment.
The only person who was
allowed to visit him occa-
sionally was his mother.
Very touching is this por-
trayal:
"Who is my mother? A
woman who has had six
children, who in her 85th
year lived in her home in
respect and love by her 14
grandchildren and as many
gre a t-grandchildren.
"At the time of my arrest,
and while my name was be-
ing dragged through the dust,
she was 74-years old and had
been widowed for two years.
From her simple village en-
vironment she hastened to
my aid; with intelligence
and adroitness she stood by
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