On this day, December 26, 1948, the Primate of Hungary and the Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Cardinal József Mindszenty, was arrested.
The Cardinal was a vigorous opponent of both Nazism and Communism, so he was first arrested on November 24, 1944, for opposing the Nazis who governed Hungary. With the arrival of the Red Army, he was released, but not for long.
On 15 September 1945, Mindszenty was appointed Primate of Hungary and Archbishop of Esztergom, the seat of the head of the Catholic Church in Hungary. On 21 February 1946, Archbishop Mindszenty was elevated to Cardinal-Priest of Santo Stefano Rotondo by Pope Pius XII, who reportedly told him, “Among these thirty-two you will be the first to suffer the martyrdom symbolized by this red color.”
Cardinal József Mindszenty was arrested on December 26, 1948, by the new Hungarian Communist government, accused of treason, conspiracy, and various crimes against the state. Before his arrest, he wrote a note denying any involvement in conspiracies. During his imprisonment, he was subjected to severe physical abuse, leading to a forced confession where he, according to communist government, admitted to planning to restore the Habsburg monarchy, overthrow communism, and even start a third world war for American victory. Even at that time though these claims were highly dubious and seen as part of a show trial.
Pope Pius XII responded by excommunicating those involved in Mindszenty’s trial and publicly condemned the proceedings, rallying public opinion against the Hungarian government’s actions. Mindszenty was released during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution but took refuge in the U.S. Embassy after the Soviet re-invasion, staying there for 15 years. In 1971, he was allowed to leave Hungary for Vienna, Austria, where he lived in exile until his death in 1975. His titles were stripped by Pope Paul VI in 1973, a move seen as part of Vatican’s Ostpolitik to normalize relations with communist states.
In 1991, Cardinal József Mindszenty’s remains were returned to Hungary and buried in Esztergom Basilica. He is widely admired in Hungary for his opposition to both the Nazism and Communism.