Evening star., 1949-02-14
PopeAddresses
Consistory on
Hungarian Trial
Declares Mindszenty
Case Indicates Need
To Insist on Rights
(Tert of Pope's address
on Page A-5.)
By the Assoejoted Press

VATICAN CITY, Feb. 14.-Pope
Plus XII declared today that when
o civil government contradicts di-
vine and human rights bishops
and the faithful themselves are
bound by their conscience to resist
unjust laws"
Addressing a secret and ex-
traordinary consistory of the Col
lege of Cardinals of the Roman
Catholic Church on the case of
Josef Cardinal Mindszenty. the
Pontiff asked prayers to the end
that: A
"' Those who rashly. tram
pie upon the liberty of the church
and the rights of human con-
science may at length understand
that no civil society can endure
when religion has been suppressed
and God. as it we're. driven into
exile"
Crushed With Bitter Grief.
The Pope said "our soul is
crushed with most bitter grief by
the trial and condemnation of the
Hungarian primate.
In a brief speech to Is cardi-
nails closeted with him in the
consistorial hall of the Apostolic
palace, the pontiff declared the
Hungarian primates trial had not
been fairly reported.
The principal object of the
trial" the Pope said. was 10
disrupt the Catholic Church in
Hungary and precisely for the
purpose set forth in the sacred
scripture:
"I shall strike the shepherd
and the sheep of the flock shall
be dispersed (Mat. xxvi.31D
Inexplicable Influences.
The Pope declared Cardinal
Mindszenty's physical condition
during the trial was "inexplicable
except as the result of secret in
fuences which may not be pub
licly revealed; to prove this there
is the fact that a man endowed
with the full vigor Of a forceful
nature suddenly appears weak and
mentally unbalanced"
The Pontiff branded com
pletely false" the Hungarian gov
ernment's assertions that "the
whole question at issue was that
this Apostolic See in furtherance
of plans for political domination
of nations gave instructions to
oppose the republic Of Hungary
and its rulers"
I'VE are doing" the Pontiff
told the 16 assembled princes OF
the Roman Catholic Church
what the outraged rights of the
church and the dignity of the
human person clearly demand"
This apparently was reference
to the communication of all
those involved in the arrest, trial
and Imprisonment of the Hun
garian primate and his sentencing
to life imprisonment in Budapest
last week.
The Pontif1's allocution con-
tanned no emention of further
ecclesiastical punishment.
1t was a speech phrased in sor-
row rather than anger.
Let us all pray to God fer
vently," the Pope sad. that those
who suffer persecution. imprison-
ment and hardship, may be con-
soled with the necessary help OF
Divine Grace *' . that those who
rashly trample upon the liberty of
the church and the rights OF hu-
man conscience may at length
understand that no civil society
can endure when religion has been
suppressed and God, as it were,
driven into exile"
The imprisonment of the Hun
garian Cardinal was "a most
serious outrage which inflicts a
deep wound not only on your dis
tinguished college and on the
church but also on every upholder
of the dignity and liberty of man"
he said.
When a civil government con-
tradicts divine and human rights,
(See POPE, Page A-5.D