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Memorie
Memoris of Jozsef Cardinal Mindszenty, the legendary Hungarian hero-priest who has come to be regarded as a symbol of Christain and national resistance to communion in the Eastern European nation
390 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1974
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About the author
József Mindszenty
20 books7 followersJoseph Mindszenty was born in Hungary on March 29, 1892. He was ordained to the priesthood on the Feast of the Sacred heart of Jesus on June 12, 1915, and was consecrated Bishop of Veszprem on March 25, 1944. From November 27, 1944 to April 20, 1945, he was imprisoned by the Nazis. Pope Pius XII appointed him Archbishop of Esztergom and Primate of Hungary on October 2, 1945. Just a few months later, on February 18, 1946, the Holy Father raised him to the Cardinalate. As Pope Pius XII placed the Cardinal's hat on his head, the Pope said: "Among the thirty-two, you will be the first to suffer the martyrdom whose symbol this red color is."
When the Communists arrested Cardinal Mindszenty in Budapest on December 26, 1948, his twenty-three long years of persecution, suffering and enforced isolation began. Throughout his ordeals, he was unwavering in his faith, hope and love of God.
Upon the request of Pope Paul VI, Cardinal Mindszenty departed from his country of Hungary, still occupied by the Communists, on September 29, 1971, and settled in Vienna, Austria. He died there at the age of 83 on May 6, 1975.
Today, Cardinal Mindszenty is buried in the Church of the Assumption, the Basilica of Esztergom, Hungary, where pilgrims visit daily and pray for his intercession in their needs.
When the Communists arrested Cardinal Mindszenty in Budapest on December 26, 1948, his twenty-three long years of persecution, suffering and enforced isolation began. Throughout his ordeals, he was unwavering in his faith, hope and love of God.
Upon the request of Pope Paul VI, Cardinal Mindszenty departed from his country of Hungary, still occupied by the Communists, on September 29, 1971, and settled in Vienna, Austria. He died there at the age of 83 on May 6, 1975.
Today, Cardinal Mindszenty is buried in the Church of the Assumption, the Basilica of Esztergom, Hungary, where pilgrims visit daily and pray for his intercession in their needs.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 2, 2015
This is the story of Cardinal Josef Mindszenty of Hungary (1892-1975) who was persecuted by the communist regime of Hungary.
Hungary became Communist in the wake of Soviet occupation after the Second World War. Hungary had fought on the Axis side until an armistice with the Soviets in 1944. The Soviets more or less occupied the country and brought it into the communist fold.
Cardinal Mindszenty butted heads with the Communist regime over the nationalization of all schools and the removal of obligatory religion. For this dissent, he was arrested and tortured. Then the government organized a show trial in which he was convicted of treason. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The memoirs recount the facts in detail. It was very interesting to read how simply opposing the regime led to his arrest and daily beatings and attempts at forced confession.
For seven years, he was imprisoned, first in dire circumstances, then eventually in a chateau with another bishop. The communist regime did not want to make him a martyr.
During the brief Hungarian Revolution, he was liberated. But due to the Soviet invasion, he was forced to take asylum in the American embassy where he lived for fifteen years. Finally, because of detente, he was effectively forced to leave; however, he was able to live in exile in Vienna, Austria. Finally he was essentially deposed by the Vatican in 1974 as a result of detente. The Vatican was trying to build better relations with the Eastern Bloc countries in order to safeguard the well-being of the Church. And Cardinal Mindszenty wa sacrificed for that purpose.
I thought it was a very interesting read, although the Hungarian language is somewhat off-putting to a native English speaker such as myself, and it made it difficult to remember names of people and places, and I didn't even try to pronounce most of them.
I do believe he will one day be canonized. He showed remarkable resilience in the face of torture and imprisonment. You would think that imprisonment would be a boring topic, especially since he didn't have a lot to do while incarcerated, but he had quite a few insights into the system. Later during his imprisonment, he began writing his memoirs, so the recollection was somewhat close to the actual events, and not many decades later as is often the case with memoirs.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about how the Communist system works, and how the Church was persecuted under communism. Very insightful.
Hungary became Communist in the wake of Soviet occupation after the Second World War. Hungary had fought on the Axis side until an armistice with the Soviets in 1944. The Soviets more or less occupied the country and brought it into the communist fold.
Cardinal Mindszenty butted heads with the Communist regime over the nationalization of all schools and the removal of obligatory religion. For this dissent, he was arrested and tortured. Then the government organized a show trial in which he was convicted of treason. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The memoirs recount the facts in detail. It was very interesting to read how simply opposing the regime led to his arrest and daily beatings and attempts at forced confession.
For seven years, he was imprisoned, first in dire circumstances, then eventually in a chateau with another bishop. The communist regime did not want to make him a martyr.
During the brief Hungarian Revolution, he was liberated. But due to the Soviet invasion, he was forced to take asylum in the American embassy where he lived for fifteen years. Finally, because of detente, he was effectively forced to leave; however, he was able to live in exile in Vienna, Austria. Finally he was essentially deposed by the Vatican in 1974 as a result of detente. The Vatican was trying to build better relations with the Eastern Bloc countries in order to safeguard the well-being of the Church. And Cardinal Mindszenty wa sacrificed for that purpose.
I thought it was a very interesting read, although the Hungarian language is somewhat off-putting to a native English speaker such as myself, and it made it difficult to remember names of people and places, and I didn't even try to pronounce most of them.
I do believe he will one day be canonized. He showed remarkable resilience in the face of torture and imprisonment. You would think that imprisonment would be a boring topic, especially since he didn't have a lot to do while incarcerated, but he had quite a few insights into the system. Later during his imprisonment, he began writing his memoirs, so the recollection was somewhat close to the actual events, and not many decades later as is often the case with memoirs.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about how the Communist system works, and how the Church was persecuted under communism. Very insightful.
May 7, 2025
The lives of these bishops behind the Iron Curtain are almost incomprehensible. May God reward the suffering they endured for the faith and for their people.
May 29, 2011
Suffering arrest by the Nazis and torture at the hands of the Hungarian communists makes him a heroic figure but his rigidity made him unable to change with the times. No wonder the pope removed him from the scene after 15 years of refuge in the U.S. embassy in Budapest. He was an impediment to the improvement of the lives of Hungarian Catholics. His memoirs were pretty self-serving as you'd expect but reveal his lack of humility more than anything else. Why is it that priests are so attached to their mothers? Freudian.
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July 30, 2011Extraordinary autobiography of a Cardinal who finally felt more betrayed by an appeasing Vatican than by his Communist persecutors...
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews