First some historical information: Jusztinián György Serédi joined the order of Saint Benedict in 1901, when he entered the monastery of Pannonhalma. He took his solemn vows on July 10, 1905 and was ordained a priest on 14 July 1908.
Pope Pius XI appointed him Archbishop of Esztergom on 30 November 1927. He was consecrated on 8 January 1928 in the Sistine chapel by Pope Pius.
He was created and proclaimed Cardinal-Priest of Ss. Andrea e Gregorio al Monte Celio in the consistory of December 19, 1927. He was a senator of Hungary in the parliament by his own right.
Like pretty much every bishop who was in office during the Second World War, Serédi's role today is 'disputed', although his personal record doesn't read all that bad at all: In 1934 Serédi issued a statement saying no Catholic priest could support the principles of Nazism. In the spring of 1944 he issued a statement condemning the attacks on, discrimination against and deportation of the Jews on racial grounds. Serédi also worked to try to get Catholic Jews exempted from deportation and death, but was only able to get the rule to apply to those who were priests, monks or nuns. In April 1944 Serédi protested the treatment of Jews by the Nazis in Hungary. Serédi's leading the Hungarian church in opposition to the attack on the Jews lead to the arrest of two bishops and several priests and nuns. One of the bishops arrested by the Nazis was József Mindszenty.
As I noted elsewhere, Cardinal Serédi did not die, as the date might suggest, during the war, but shortly afterwards. It is said that his heart broke and his will failed after he saw his diocese and country in ruins.
Here are the photos:
Portraits:
In pontificals:
In procession:
During a visit to Poland, 1933:
This photo of Cardinal Serédi, which I posted on the old "Far Sight" years ago, started a successful career on Wikipedia, after having been snatched from my blog. It is used in articles about Cardinal Serédi as well as in articles dealing with the choir-dress of bishops and cardinals:
1 comment:
The real cause of Cardinal Serédi's death in the last days of the war in Hugary (29th March 1945, Maundy Thursday) was his being diabetic and unable to get his regular dose of insulin in his town besieged by the Red Army. This is what I was told by the present incumbent of his office, Péter Cardinal Erdő, some years ago. In the official life of his predecessor, His Eminence is merely alluding to this fact, see P. Erdő, "Serédi Jusztinián", Esztergomi érsekek 1001-2003 [Archbishops of Esztergom 1001-2003], ed. by Margit Beke, Budapest: Szent István Társulat 2003, 389-395, here 393.
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