Word: church
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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Historically, it was curious to find mention of martyrdom retained in the ritual creating a cardinal. The church's list of martyrs contains scores of bishops, but only one cardinal.* When the office evolved (probably in the 5th Century), the cardinals were in charge of important churches in and around Rome. Yet while there was evil in the world, there would be danger, even at the center of Christendom. The cardinals were reminded that they as well as those who went among the infidel were expected to be faithful unto death...
...church in Rome of which Cardinal Mindszenty became titular head was Monte Celio's 5th Century rotunda of St. Stephen the first martyr (about 50 A.D.).* On the walls of St. Stephen's are 34 frescoes showing scenes of Christian martyrdom-St. Margaret, her breast torn with hooks; Bishop Artemius, crushed between stone slabs; Bishop Simeon cut to pieces with knives. But not all martyrdom involves death. One fresco at St. Stephen's tells of a 4th Century persecution of Christians by King Unericus in North Africa. The description reads: "Those who talked and raised their hands...
...Communists, who have their own martyrs, well understand the saying "Blood of martyrs, seed of the church." They sought to remove Mindszenty, who stood in their way, but above all they sought to cheat him of his martyr's crown. Thus last week Mindszenty appeared in court, "confessing" and "recanting...
...ordained and went home to Csehimindszenty, where his mother proudly watched him celebrate his first Mass. In 1917 he went to teach in the small town of Zalaegerszeg, later became its parish priest. The parish he took over was in poor shape. He immediately started building a new church and a new school. He kept four cows and distributed milk to the undernourished children. He spent much time visiting the sick and the jailed. Soon he became a prisoner himself. When Bela Kun established his four months' Communist reign of terror in 1919, Father Pehm attacked...
...three years, Mindszenty had risen rapidly from parish priest to Prince-Primate. The church knew it was entering a fateful struggle in Hungary. Mindszenty was inexperienced, with little knowledge of the world or of diplomacy. He had, however, two assets that must have recommended him to the Vatican: 1) an anti-Nazi record so clear that the Communists could not besmirch it, and 2) extraordinary strength of character...