Mindszenty
When Saint Pope John Paul II arrived in Esztergom on 16 August 1991, he first visited the grave of the Prince Primate. Every year since then, in early May a Mindszenty pilgrimage has been organized in Esztergom with the participation of a multitude of faithful.
Both in Mariazell and in Esztergom pilgrims kept and still keep flowing to the grave of the Cardinal, who was commonly regarded as a saint in his life. Flowers, wreaths and the national colours decorate his grave. On 31 October 1956, the Hungarian government declared that all the charges brought against Cardinal Mindszenty in 1948 had been completely unlawful. On 18 May 1990, the free Hungarian court declared his show trial void. At the request of Péter Cardinal Erdő, the Prince Primate was completely rehabilitated legally, morally and politically in March 2012. Hungarians remember him as a national hero.
Streets, squares and institutions have adopted his name in Hungary and in many cities throughout the world, reflecting his widespread veneration. His memory has inspired statues, musical pieces and literary works.
In his work entitled A "devotion" in the 21st century (Egy „kultusz” a XXI. században), István Mészáros summed up how the veneration for Cardinal Mindszenty had developed in the years from 1975 to 2005. József Mindszenty's process of canonization started on 19 March 1994, on the feast of Saint Joseph. In the course of the diocesan inquiry, several thousand pages of historical sources (documents, testimonies, historians’ and theologians’ expert opinions) were gathered.
The competent bishop closed the inquiry in 1996 and forwarded the documents to the Office of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican. Currently the multiple-stage evaluation of the collected evidence about the life and sanctity of the Cardinal, confessor of the faith, is under way in Rome.
If someone pronounces the name "Mindszenty", we only think of him. His name has become one of the biggest names, since surnames without a Christian name only denote one person. The reason why Mindszenty's name has a pleasant ring is that his owner made good use of the values of his life. Therefore, his person and the example of his life are just as up-to-date as before. "If I had to start my life anew, I would start it as I did. And even if I clearly saw its consequences, I would do the same."
