Evening star., 1949-02-03
Cardinal
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Cardinal
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bishops prefers to make peace. I
do not oppose 1t at all.
Il would not oppose the cause Of
peace at the Holy See either, which
has to say the last word in this
question.
II make this statement in the be-
lief that real peace is in the inter-
ests Of both state and church, and
without it life in this country would
wither.
II remain, Mr.. Minister. Yours
faithfully, Archbishop Cardinal
Mindszenty."
Secretary Admits Partial Guilt.
Before Cardinal Mindszenty was
brought to the dock, his former
private secretary, the Rev. Ondras
zakar, also had pleaded partly
guilty" But Justin Baranyay, white
haired professor of canon law,
pleaded innocent and frequently in.
terrupted the reading of the charges
to denounce certain points as un-
true.
Father Zakar, who was arrested in
November, more than a month be-
fore the cardinal, testified to jour-
neys Of Cardinal Mindszenty to
Rome and the United States, and to
meetings with Otto, Francis Cardi-
nal Spellman Of New York and Thor
Eckhardt, a, Nationalist refugee now
in the United States. He also told
Of meetings with Selden Chaplin, the
American Minister to Budapest.
Father Zakar said he maintained
connections with the American
Legation through an employe named
Stefan Koczak.
The Hungarian government
disclosed last night that it had
expelled Mr.. Koczak, second Sec
retary OF the Legation, on 4s
hours notice)
Separation Of Case Refused.
At the outset Of the proceedings
the court rejected the cardinals re-
quest to separate his case from that
of the other six defendants.
(There was reason to believe
that the delegates Of the bench
of Roman Catholic bishops were
aware of the contents Of Cardi-
nal Mindszenty's letter when they
conferred Tuesday with Pre-
n1ier Istvan .DoH. After, the fl.
conference they announced that
they were willing to leave
the Mindszenty case to the
wise discretion of the Hun
garian government" 1t was be-
lieved that. confronted with the :
cardinals announced stand on
reconciliations, the bishops de-
cided to prepare peace.making
statement Of their OWN
In both the letter and his words
to the court on his history, the car
dinal dropped the title OF "Prince,"
which for centuries has preceded
the words Primate Of the Roman
Catholic Church Of Hungary. BY
tradition in Hungary the prince
primate was next in rank TO the
King. The abandonment of the
title in his words today caused much
speculation.
Few Get Into Court.
Only a handful of persons could
crowd into the small courtroom. The
tickets of spectators, including
newspapermen lucky enough to get
them. were checked seven times by
armed policemen and plainsclothes-
men.
Emelinda Ottrupay, former bal
lerina at Budpest opera House and
wife of Duke Paul Esterhazy, one of
the defendants, was on one Of the
back benches. Another interested
spectator was Gabor Peter, head of
Hungary's political police.
The governments indictment
accused the cardinal of leading
an organization which aimed to
overthrow democratic order of the
state with treason and with specu-
lation in foreign currency"
1t accused him of royalist ac-
tivities on behalf OF the pretender,
Archduke Otto Of Hapsburg. and of
maintaining "subversive connections
with Thor Eckhardt, Hungarian
political adventurer in the United
States"
The government announced in
December that Cardinal Mindszenty
had confessed his guilt to all these
charges.
From his seat in the defendants
row, the cardinal watched the others
questioned on their life histories.
Besides the cardinals secretary and
Prof. Baranay they were the Rev.
Miklos Macy. secretary Of the lay
organization Catholic Action, the
priest Bella Ispenky, the journalist
Laszlo 10th, and Esterhazy.
Vatican City dispatches pointed
out that under church law all Catho-
lies who put Cardinal Mindszenty on
trial before lay judges will be ex-
communicated, the heaviest punish
ment within the power of the
church. That means they are de-
MED the sacraments Of the church
and the society Of other Catholics.
The Vatican already has excom-
municated all Catholics who had
anything to do with Cardinal Minds
zenty's arrest.
Cardinal Mindszenty fought the
government on such issues as ma
tionalization of church schools.
Hints from various sources in
Hungary and at Vatican City are
that the Hungarian government
wants a Hungarian Catholic Church
separate from Vatican control.
Cardinal Mindszenty is the first