Mindszenty, << mihnd ZEHN tih, >> Jozsef (1892-1975), a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, was a religious leader in Hungary. For many people, he became a symbol of resistance to Communism.
Pope Pius XII named Mindszenty bishop of Veszprem in 1944, and archbishop of Esztergom and primate of Hungary in 1945. The pope made him a cardinal in 1946. Mindszenty became a main target of the Communist-dominated secret police. In 1949, Mindszenty was convicted of treason by Hungary’s Communist government and given a life sentence. He remained under house arrest until 1956, when Hungarian rebels freed him during a revolt. Mindszenty took refuge in the United States Embassy in Budapest and lived there for 15 years.
In 1971, Mindszenty left Hungary and went into exile in Rome. He did so at the request of Pope Paul VI, under an agreement between the Vatican and the Hungarian government. Mindszenty later settled in Vienna. In 1974, to improve relations between the church and the Hungarian government, the pope removed Mindszenty as primate of Hungary and archbishop of Esztergom.
Mindszenty was born Joseph Pehm in Csehimindszenty on March 29, 1892. His father was of German ancestry. Mindszenty was ordained a priest in 1915. During the Nazi occupation of Hungary, he changed his name to indicate his complete Hungarian nationality, using the name of his birthplace. Mindszenty died on May 6, 1975.
