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BOX-FOLDER-REPORT: 31-4-171
TITLE:             Groesz Biography
BY:                LEN
DATE:              1961-10-3
COUNTRY:           Hungary
ORIGINAL SUBJECT:  Hungarian Research and Evaluation Note
THEMATIC SUBJECTS: Hungary--1956-1965, Church and State, Personalities

--- Begin ---

X/20 CURT - GROESZ BIOGRAPHY (WITH CN 115 SERIES) F-127
Munich, October 3

(Hungarian Research and Evaluation Note) -- Archbishop
Dr. Joseph Groesz was born on 9 December 1887 at Feltorony. He
began his theological studies at the Seminary of Gyor. An
outstanding student, he was sent to Vienna to attend the
Theological Faculty of the University. On 14 July 1911 he was
ordained at the Vienna "Pazmaneum" (the college of Hungarian
priests attending the University of Vienna). After graduating
as doctor of theology, he returned to Gyor where he joined the
staff of the diocese. He rose quickly in the hierarchy. On
24 February 1929 he was consecrated auxiliary bishop. In 1936
he was transferred to the diocese of Szombathely as apostolic
administrator. On 9 July 1939 he was consecrated bishop of
Szombathely. He distinguished himself as founder of seven new
parishes. His stay in Szombathely lasted only until 7 May 1943
when he was appointed Archbishop of Kalocsa on the death of
Archbishop Nandor Zichy.

After the sentence of Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty,
Primate of Hungary and Archbishop of Esztergom, to a life term,(Feb.49)
Archbishop Groesz became chairman of the Conference of the Bench
of Bishops.

In May 1951 it was his turn to be arrested and in
June, to be put on trial on trumped-up charges: conspiracy
against the people's democratic order, illegal currency deals
and other "anti-state" acts. On 28 June 1951 he was sentenced
to 15 years in prison. He spent a long period in solitary
confinement. In October 1955 the Minister of Justice
interrupted the execution of the sentence, complying with a request of
the Archbishop of Eger, Gyula Czapik, since Groesz inprisonment,
chairman of the Bench of Bishops. Groesz was transferred to the
village of Toszeg (in Central Hungary) and kept under house
arrest. In April 1956 Archbishop Czapik died. The regime was
anxious to fill the presidency of the Bench of Bishops without
delay. The solution on hand was to remit the sentence not yet
served of Archbishop Groesz with an act of clemency and restore
him both to the Archbishopric of Kalocsa and the presidency of
the Bench of Bishops. This took place on 11 May 1956. A day
later Prime Minister Andras Hegedus received Archbishop Groesz
informing him that the Council of Ministers had no objection to
his' resumption of both offices. It is pointed out that Archbishop
Groesz has never been given rehabilitation which involves the
dropping of the charges brought against a person (as was the
case, for example, with Laszlo Rajk and his associates but also
with Lutheran Bishop Lajos Ordass, the latter also convicted on
trumped up charges for illegal currency deal in 1948). Until
his very death Archbishop Groesz was "guilty" in the eyes of the
regime of the charges brought against him in June 1951 (though
the charges were no less trumped up than, for instance, in case
of Lajos Ordass!). He was out of jail only on the basis of an
act of clemency.

[page 2]

X/210 CURT - (l) GROESZ BIOGRAPHY F-123
Hungarian Note, page 2

The physical and spirital sufferings of the prison
badly shattered the health of Archbishop Groesz. The extremely
difficult conditions under which he had to guide the Catholic
Church of Hungary, exposed to an increasing pressure of the
regime, put a further strain on his health. In 1958 and 1959 he
had to be taken to hospital for months.

In July 1961 Archbishop Groesz celebrated the
50th anniversary of his ordination. The "golden jubilee" took place
however, in the baleful shadow of the regime's latest
fierce onslaught on the freedom of the Catholic Church (the
persecution and putting on trial of Catholic church-and laymen).

The regime has often tried to exploit the immense
popularity of Archbishop Groesz attributing to him statements
apparently supporting the foreign or domestic policy of the
regime. Such statements became known in all cases from regime
media only. This alone would suffice to give rise to the gravest
doubts about the authenticity of such statements. But there is
concrete and irrefutable evidence that Archbishop Groesz never
spoke in that way. The keynote to his long ecclesiatic career
is, instead, contained in a sentence of his, uttered on July 20
in Budapest at a celebration of his golden jubilee in the
presence also of high regime representatives: "For half a century
I have been a missionary of the eternal Gospel not leaving that
road for an iota..."

On October 3rd, 1961, Radio Budapest reported that the
Archbishop had died of a heart attack at Kalosca.

LEN 2355

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