Past Events 2006
Mindszenty Portrait at the Embassy
Head of the Hungarian Catholic Church Cardinal Péter Erdő made a donation of a portrait of Cardinal Mindszenty, painted by renowned Hungarian artist László Gyémánt, to the U.S. Embassy on October 22, 2006. Head of the Hungarian Catholic Church during the revolution of 1956, Cardinal Mindszenty found a safe haven at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest after the uprising was defeated.
Receiving the portrait, Ambassador Foley said that the U.S. has special regard for Mindszenty as he was an outspoken advocate of freedom of speech and freedom of religion. She added that she would hang the painting in her office where Mindszenty had spent 15 years of his life before the communist regime reached an agreement with the Vatican and allowed him to leave Hungary in 1971.
Addressing the gathering, Cardinal Erdő said: "With the approach of the 50th anniversary of the 1956 revolution and freedom fight, it is time that I voice my gratitude in my own name and in that of the Hungarian Catholic community for the protection and hospitality you offered Cardinal Mindszenty … I also want to thank the United States for receiving Hungarian refugees."
Also addressing the group was New York State Governor George Pataki, head of the official U.S. delegation to the 1956 commemoration ceremonies. He noted that the revolution was important throughout the world and not just in Hungary as it had exposed the lies of the Soviet Union. Minister of Culture István Hiller said in his remarks that it was important for both eyewitnesses and young people to remember 1956.