This week marks the thirtieth anniversary of the death of one of the 20th century's greatest champions of freedom - Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty. Cardinal Mindszenty was a stalwart opponent of both Nazism and Communism and he paid a severe personal price for his courageous stand. But his example helped to keep alive the dream of freedom for the Hungarian people over the many long years of oppression and cruelty.
With the passing of Pope John Paul II, much attention has been paid to the Pontiff's role in undermining the Soviet regime and encouraging the people of Poland and Eastern Europe to peacefully assert their right to be free. But John Paul's efforts and ultimate success was deeply dependent on the earlier courageous examples of men like Joseph Mindszenty who kept the hopes of freedom alive in the darkest days of Soviet control.
Joseph Mindszenty was born in 1892 and became a priest in 1915. In March 1944, he was appointed Bishop of Veszprem just prior to the Nazi's occupation of Hungary. Because of his opposition to the Nazis, Mindszenty was imprisoned by the authorities later that year and was not released until the Nazis had withdrawn from Hungary just prior to the war's end.
After the war, Mindszenty was elevated to Archbishop and then Cardinal, becoming the leading religious leader of Hungary. Consistent with his opposition to tyranny, Mindszenty soon ran afoul of Hungary's new Communist rulers and in 1948 he was imprisoned by the Stalinist regime. At a subsequent show trial that badly misfired on the Communists, an obviously drugged and physically humiliated Mindszenty pled guilty to the phony charges brought by the government - this after he had publicly asserted that any "confessions" the Communists wrung from him would be only as a result of coercion. The harsh treatment meted out to Mindszenty has been cited as a major factor in the growing Hungarian opposition to the Communists that ultimately led to the bloodily suppressed 1956 revolution.
During the Hungarian revolution, Mindszenty was freed by the rebel forces. He offered powerful support to his countrymen who were seeking to end the Soviet occupation and gain Hungary's freedom.
After long imprisonment I am speaking to all the sons of the Hungarian nation. In my heart there is no hatred against anyone. It is an admirable heroism that is at present liberating the fatherland. This struggle for liberty is unexampled in world history. Our youth deserves all glory. They deserve gratitude and prayers for their sacrifices. Our army, workers and peasants have shown an example of heroic love of the fatherland. The situation of the country is very serious; conditions tor the continuance of life are lacking. The path of fruitful development must be found as speedily as possible.
When the revolt was crushed, Mindszenty took refuge in the U.S. legation and declared that he would never leave Hungary unless the Hungarian government rescinded his conviction and sentence.
In 1971, Pope Paul VI, in an effort to improve the Church's relations with the Communist government, agreed to a deal under which Mindszenty was ordered to leave Hungary and go to neighboring Austria, where he lived out the remaining four years of his life. To add further disgrace to the Pope's "realpolitic" arrangement with the regime, Mindszenty was removed from his position as Primate of Hungary and a "moderate" Cardinal was appointed in his stead.
Joseph Mindszenty was a passionate opponent of both Nazism and Communism. By that measure alone, he deserves our admiration. His willingness to endure years of imprisonment and brutality for his beliefs helped keep alive the beacon of freedom during his country's most severe trials. He was not a warm and fuzzy man, to be sure, but he chose to stand for freedom and he refused to bend with the wind. We could sorely use more men and women of Joseph Mindszenty's personal and moral courage.