Kolos Ferenc Vaszary
Encyclopedia
Kolos Ferenc Vaszary, O.S.B.
(born February 12, 1832, Keszthely
, Hungary
; died September 3, 1915, Balatonfüred
, Hungary) was a cardinal
of the Roman Catholic Church
and a longtime archbishop
of the prestigious see of Esztergom in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
He entered the Order of Saint Benedict in 1847 and was professed on 6 June 1854. Two years later he was ordained to the priesthood on 26 May 1856, and for a long time worked as a school teacher. When almost 60 years old, he was appointed Archbishop of Esztergom and thus Prince-Primate of Hungary on 13 Dec 1891, and received episcopal ordination on 7 February 1892. The Archbishop of Esztergom (which contains the Hungarian capital of Budapest
) is traditionally made a cardinal, Pope Leo XIII
elevated Vaszary to the cardinalate less than a year later, on 16 January 1893. At the same time the Habsburg monarchy recognised his services to the community by giving him the order of Sankt Stefan.
Cardinal Vaszary served as an Archbishop
for twenty years, participating in the conclave of 1903
. At a time when bishops typically served as long as they lived, and today's practice of resigning at the age of 75 had not yet begun, Cardinal Vaszary's health declined so much that in November 1912 it was absolutely impossible for him to continue fulfilling any of the work of an archbishop, and he announced his resignation. Because of the then existing agreements between the Catholic Church and the Habsburg Empire
, both the Pope and the Emperor had to accept his resignation before it took effect. They accepted it in the first week of 1913.
Already eighty-two when Pope Pius X
died, Cardinal Vaszary was quite unable to participate in the conclave which elected Pius X's successor
, Pope Benedict XV
.
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
(born February 12, 1832, Keszthely
Keszthely
Keszthely is a Hungarian city of 21,100 inhabitants located on the western shore of Lake Balaton. It's the second largest city by the lake after Siófok....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
; died September 3, 1915, Balatonfüred
Balatonfüred
Balatonfüred is a popular resort town in Veszprém county, in Hungary, with a population of thirteen thousand, situated on the north shore of the Lake Balaton. It is considered to be the capital of the Northern lake shore and has significant yachting life. It is also a favorite location for coarse...
, Hungary) was a cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and a longtime archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of the prestigious see of Esztergom in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
He entered the Order of Saint Benedict in 1847 and was professed on 6 June 1854. Two years later he was ordained to the priesthood on 26 May 1856, and for a long time worked as a school teacher. When almost 60 years old, he was appointed Archbishop of Esztergom and thus Prince-Primate of Hungary on 13 Dec 1891, and received episcopal ordination on 7 February 1892. The Archbishop of Esztergom (which contains the Hungarian capital of Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
) is traditionally made a cardinal, Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
elevated Vaszary to the cardinalate less than a year later, on 16 January 1893. At the same time the Habsburg monarchy recognised his services to the community by giving him the order of Sankt Stefan.
Cardinal Vaszary served as an Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
for twenty years, participating in the conclave of 1903
Papal conclave, 1903
The Papal conclave of 1903 was caused by the death of the 93-year-old Pope Leo XIII, who at that stage was the third-longest reigning pope in history....
. At a time when bishops typically served as long as they lived, and today's practice of resigning at the age of 75 had not yet begun, Cardinal Vaszary's health declined so much that in November 1912 it was absolutely impossible for him to continue fulfilling any of the work of an archbishop, and he announced his resignation. Because of the then existing agreements between the Catholic Church and the Habsburg Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
, both the Pope and the Emperor had to accept his resignation before it took effect. They accepted it in the first week of 1913.
Already eighty-two when Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
died, Cardinal Vaszary was quite unable to participate in the conclave which elected Pius X's successor
Papal conclave, 1914
The Papal conclave of 1914 was held to choose a successor to Pope Pius X, who had died in the Vatican on 20 August 1914.-Political context:With Europe facing World War I, whoever was selected would face the difficulty of leading the Holy See through the war to end all wars, in which Catholic...
, Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV , born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, reigned as Pope from 3 September 1914 to 22 January 1922...
.