February 8, 1949 - Cardinal Mindszenty

Human Rights a Day

Hungarian Cardinal Mindszenty sentenced to life imprisonment for treason. József Pehm was born on March 29, 1892 in Mindszent, Hungary. Years later he would take the name Mindszenty, from his place of birth. He was active in the Catholic Youth Movement in school and became a priest in 1915. His first book, Motherhood, was published in 1917 and his anti-communist and ultra-conservative beliefs got him into trouble more than once. After World War I, in 1919, Mindszenty became active in the newly formed Christian Party and was arrested and served time under house arrest and in jail until 1919. His work in the church continued and in 1944, he was named diocesan bishop of Veszprém by Pope Pius XII. Shortly afterwards he was arrested by the Nazi-controlled government for denouncing the treatment of Jews. When Hungary was liberated by the Soviet’s Red Army in 1945, Mindszenty moved back to Veszprém. He was elevated to Cardinal of Hungary in 1946, just two years before religious orders were banned by the communist government. On December 26, 1948, along with others, Mindszenty was arrested once more, this time for treason and conspiracy for speaking his mind. On February 8, 1949, Mindszenty was sentenced to life imprisonment for treason. Condemnation for this from western leaders and the pope was harsh, but to no avail. During the short-lived Hungarian Revolt of 1956, Mindszenty was released from prison. But that lasted only days. As the Soviets quickly crushed the revolt, Mindszenty took sanctuary in the U.S. embassy in Budapest. He stayed in the compound for 15 years until the Vatican worked out a compromise and he was released to Vienna in 1971. He died on May 6, 1975

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