Beatification of Cardinal Mindszenty clears next hurdle

The Vatican’s Congregation of the Causes of Saints has been given the okay by Pope Francis to publish a decree “recognising the heroic virtues” of the late Cardinal József Mindszenty, clearing another hurdle in his beatification process, the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference said on Wednesday.

The pope’s decree marks the end of an important stage in Mindszenty’s beatification process. The process may be continued when a miracle is attributed to the venerated bishop.

Cardinal Peter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, welcomed the publication of the decree, noting that Mindszenty can now officially be referred to as “venerable”.

Mindszenty was appointed to Bishop of Veszprém by Pope Pius XII in 1944. Protesting against the Nazi genocide, he was arrested in late 1944 and kept in prison in Sopronkohida. Following the second world war, he was appointed to archbishop of Esztergom, then to cardinal.

In late 1948 he was arrested by the Communist authorities and sentenced to life imprisonment under false charges of conspiracy, espionage and financial abuse. The sentence brought protests from the Pope and leaders of western powers. In April 1949 it was criticised by the UN General Assembly, too.