László Lékai
László Cardinal Lékai (born March 12, 1910 in Zalalövő , Hungary, † June 30, 1986 in Budapest ) was Archbishop of Esztergom and Primate of Hungary .
Life
László Lékai studied in Veszprém and Rome the subjects philosophy and Catholic theology . He received on 28 September 1934, the sacrament of Holy Orders , and then worked as a parish pastor and teacher in the diocese of Veszprém . In 1943 and 1944 he was an advisor and secretary to Cardinal József Mindszenty . From November 1944 to February 1945 he was in a prison run by the Nazi regime .
After the Second World War , László Lékai took on various tasks in the diocesan curia of the Archdiocese of Veszprém and worked as a pastor. Between 1949 and 1959 he was parish priest of the Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity in Balatonlelle . Pope Paul VI appointed him Titular Bishop of Girus Tarasii and Apostolic Administrator of Veszprém in February 1972 . He was ordained bishop on March 16, 1972 in Budapest by József Ijjas , Archbishop of Kalocsa ; Co- consecrators were József Cserháti , Bishop of Pécs , and József Bánk , Bishop of Vác . On February 10, 1976 he was appointed Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest.
A few months later, on 24 May 1976 László Lékai was as a cardinal priest with the titular church of Santa Teresa al Corso d'Italia in the College of Cardinals received. In the following years he took part in several synods of bishops .
László Cardinal Lékai died on June 30, 1986 in Budapest and was buried in Esztergom Cathedral.
On the work of Cardinal Lékai
Through the work of Cardinal Lekai and through long negotiations between Hungary and the Vatican , some of the long vacant dioceses were able to receive bishops again from 1974. However, the church was denied free appointments until the political turning point in 1989.
However, Lekai's relatively good contacts with the Communist Party regime were also criticized. The tabloid Blikk even said he had worked with the communist secret police for a while. The reason for this report was Lekai's critical attitude towards some Catholic base communities that had evaded underground before possible persecution - in particular the base community Bokor , a foundation of the Piarist Father György Bulanyi in 1948.
As the successor to József Cardinal Mindszenty , who was persecuted by the Communist Party , Lékai succeeded 20 years after the Hungarian popular uprising in relaxing the climate between Catholics and Communists and securing freedom for the church.
Literature and web links
- Gabriel Adriányi: The Ostpolitik of the Vatican 1958-1978 towards Hungary. The case of Cardinal Mindszenty. Schäfer, Herne 2003.
- Lékai, László. In: Salvador Miranda : The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. ( Florida International University website), accessed November 10, 2016.
- Entry on László Lékai on catholic-hierarchy.org ; accessed on November 10, 2016.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal József Mindszenty |
Archbishop of Esztergom 1976–1986 |
Cardinal László Paskai OFM |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lékai, László |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Lékai, Cardinal László (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Hungarian clergyman, Archbishop of Esztergom and Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 12, 1910 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Zalalövő |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 30, 1986 |
| Place of death | Budapest |