Áron Márton
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Áron Márton (28 August 1896 – 29 September 1980) was an ethnic Hungarian
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
prelate who served as the Bishop of Alba Iulia from his appointment in late 1938 until his resignation in 1980. He served as a prelate during a tumultuous period that included World War II and the emergence of a
communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...
in
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
. He was even meant to become a
cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
but refused the honor when he learnt that
another Another may refer to: * anOther or Another Magazine, a culture and fashion magazine * ''Another'' (novel), a Japanese horror novel ** ''Another'' (film), a Japanese 2012 live-action film based on the novel ** ''Another'' (TV series), a Japanese ...
Romanian prelate would not be elevated into the
cardinalate The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...
with him. The organization
Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...
honored him on 27 December 1999 as a "
Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...
" for his efforts to stop the deportation of Romanian and Hungarian Jews during the course of World War II. Márton's cause for canonization opened on 17 November 1992 under
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
and he is titled as a
Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...
. On 18 December 2024,
Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
declared him "
Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...
" ( heroic in virtue).


Life


Education and conscription

Áron Márton was born to Szekler peasant parents in Csíkszentdomokos,
Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
, part of
Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
, (now Sândominic, Romania) on 28 August 1896 to Ágoston Márton and Julianna Kurkó. His initial studies were overseen in his village from 1903 to 1906 before moving to a Roman Catholic school at Csíksomlyó from 1907 until 1911. He was at another school from 1911 to 1914 before moving to a high school at Gyulafehérvár ''(now Alba Iulia, Romania)''. He graduated from high school in 1915 and was soon after drafted into the
Austro-Hungarian armed forces The Austro-Hungarian Armed Forces ( or ''Wehrmacht''; ) or Imperial and Royal Armed Forces were the military forces of Austria-Hungary. It comprised two main branches: The Austro-Hungarian Army, Army (''Landstreitkräfte'') and the Austr ...
that 15 June. He was involved in battles of World War I as a
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
(in the 82nd Infantry Regiment) in different conflict zones and was injured several times (first at Doberdo and then at
Oituz Oituz (formerly ''Grozești''; ) is a commune in Bacău County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Călcâi (''Zöldlonka''), Ferestrău-Oituz (''Fűrészfalva''), Hârja (''Herzsa''), Marginea, Oituz and Poiana Sărată (' ...
and
Asiago Asiago (; Venetian language, Venetian: ''Axiago'', Cimbrian: ''Slege'', German language, German: ''Schlägen'' ) is a minor township (population roughly 6,500) with the title of ciin the surrounding plateau region (the ''Altopiano di Asiago'' o ...
). The conclusion of the war saw him find work as a farmer and was also a metal worker in Brassó ''(now Brașov, Romania)'' from 1918 to 1920.


Priesthood

In 1920 he commenced his theological studies in Alba Iulia and soon after became a
chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
at Ditrău (July 1924 - 1 July 1925) once he received his
ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
to the priesthood in 1924 (in Alba Iulia) from Bishop Gusztáv Károly Majláth. Márton was then made a chaplain at
Gheorgheni Gheorgheni (; ) is a Municipiu, city in Harghita County, Romania, with a population of 15,844, as of 2021. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania. The city administers four villages: Covacipeter (''Kovács ...
on 1 July 1925 until being made a professor of religion in that town from 1926 to 1928. He later became a professor of theological studies in a range of different localities and he taught at a high school from 1928 to 1929 in Mureș. Márton served as a priest at Turnu Roșu from 1 July 1929 to 1 October 1930. He was also a court chaplain and an archivist for the Diocese of Alba Iulia after 1930 before serving as a priest at the Cluj college. On 15 March 1936 he was made the brief administrator of Saint Michael's parish in Cluj before being made its actual pastor on 14 August 1938.


Episcopate


During fascist rule

On 24 December 1938 he was appointed as the Bishop of Alba Iulia in a decree that
Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...
signed. He received his
episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...
in 1939 just after that pope's death from Andrea Cassulo before he was enthroned in his new episcopal see. Márton was one of the first intellectuals to oppose the preparations for World War II in public and he had started this in 1938 prior to his appointment as a bishop. He remained in the southern part of
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
, which remained part of
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
following the
Second Vienna Award The Second Vienna Award was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all of Maramureș and part of Cri ...
in 1940, unlike the northern part, which became part of Hungary. In a speech he gave in Saint Michael's Church – during a visit to Kolozsvár on 18 May 1944 (for the ordination of three new priests) – he condemned the prepared deportation of the Romanian and Hungarian Jews. That week on 22 May he also wrote letters to the Hungarian government as well as to the local police and other authorities requesting the prohibition of the deportation. But the response to his pleas was his expulsion from Alba Iulia.


During communist rule

In 1945 – after the death of Cardinal Jusztinián Serédi
Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...
wanted Márton to become the next
cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
for the Hungarian nation, therefore leading Serédi's vacant see. But the opposition of the Hungarian Communists saw
another Another may refer to: * anOther or Another Magazine, a culture and fashion magazine * ''Another'' (novel), a Japanese horror novel ** ''Another'' (film), a Japanese 2012 live-action film based on the novel ** ''Another'' (TV series), a Japanese ...
prelate chosen for the position. Márton continued to be a strong advocate for
religious freedom Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice ...
and
human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
which made him an opponent of the Romanian Communists and of the dictatorial regime that it had established in late 1947. The bishop was arrested on 21 June 1949 and was sentenced to life imprisonment in mid-1951; but in 1953 – with the change of the political climate in Romania – the circumstances of his imprisonment became more bearable. Pius XII in 1949 (while Márton was jailed) gave him the personal title of archbishop ("ad personam"), though he made no public announcement of this and informed Márton in a private letter. Márton was moved into a villa in the outskirts of
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
but was not allowed to have contact with the outside world. He was released in 1955. Márton decided to revisit his bishopric after his release where he received a grand welcome on the part of an enthusiastic crowd. This proved embarrassing for the authorities and he was confined to
house arrest House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...
following this. Márton was not allowed to leave the bishopric building for the decade and was permitted to emerge later in 1967. He was released as a result of negotiations that Cardinal Franz König had conducted in Bucharest. But Márton was still cautious of possible harassment from the authorities and volunteers often accompanied him on his pastoral visitations to ensure he was safe and left alone. He served as the President of the Romanian Episcopal Conference from 1970 to 1980. In 1972 he was diagnosed with
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
. He travelled several times to Rome where he met with
Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...
.


Death

Márton submitted his resignation from his diocese to
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
and the resignation was later accepted on 2 April 1980. He died not long after this, on 29 September, and was interred in the diocesan cathedral. During his battle with cancer he had never taken painkillers and continued with his work with great resilience. He was granted the posthumous title "
Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...
" from
Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...
in
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
on 27 December 1999 for his activities in defending the Jews during the war. Márton's remains were exhumed from their original resting place in the crypt of St. Michael's Cathedral (Alba Iulia) and reinterred in a sarcophagus located in the main section of the cathedral on 29 September 2016.


Cardinalate nomination

On 22 February 1969 a private audience was held between Pope Paul VI and
Monsignor Monsignor (; ) is a form of address or title for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons.... or Msgr. In some ...
Hieronymus Menges. The latter asked the pope to do something that would encourage the Romanian faithful and the pope asked: "what"? in response to what he could do. Menges recommended that the pope create both Márton and
Iuliu Hossu Iuliu Hossu (30 January 1885 – 28 May 1970) was a Romanian Romanian Greek-Catholic Uniate Church, Greek-Catholic prelate who served as the Cluj-Gherla Diocese, Bishop of Cluj-Gherla. Pope Paul VI elevated Hossu to the rank of Cardinal (Cathol ...
as cardinals as well as name several priests as monsignors. Paul VI agreed and tasked the then-Archbishop
Agostino Casaroli Agostino Casaroli (24 November 1914 – 9 June 1998) was an Italian Catholic priest and diplomat for the Holy See, who became Cardinal Secretary of State. He was an important figure behind the Vatican's efforts to deal with the religious persec ...
with seeing whether it would be acceptable to the Romanian government. Casaroli dispatched his aide to meet with the Minister for Culture in Bucharest to ask if the double appointment would be welcomed. The Minister assured the aide that Márton's appointment would be acceptable to them but that Hossu was an unacceptable choice. Márton himself learnt that he was to be made a cardinal but refused upon learning that the government had denied Hossu. But the pope circumvented the government: he named Hossu a cardinal "
in pectore (Latin for 'in the breast/heart') is a term used in the Catholic Church for an action, decision, or document which is meant to be kept secret. It is most often used when there is a papal appointment to the College of Cardinals without a public ...
" and never made Márton a cardinal. Hossu's secret appointment was not made public until the pope did so on 5 March 1973 after Hossu's 1970 death.


Beatification process

The beatification cause commenced on 17 November 1992 under Pope John Paul II after the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passi ...
issued the official "
nihil obstat (Latin for 'nothing hinders' or 'nothing stands in the way') is a phrase traditionally used by Catholic Church authorities to formally declare that there is no objection to the publication of a book. It also has other uses. Publishing The ...
" and titled Márton as a
Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...
. The diocesan phase of the investigation was opened in Alba Iulia on 26 July 1994 and was later closed on 5 December 1996. The documentation was forwarded to the C.C.S. in Rome who validated the process on 23 October 1998. The
Positio A ''positio'' (short for the Latin ''positio super virtutibus'': "position on the virtues") is a document or collection of documents used in the process by which a Catholic person is declared Venerable, the second of four steps on the path to can ...
was delivered for evaluation to the C.C.S. in 2003 and theologians approved the cause on 25 June 2010. On 18 December 2024, Pope Francis approved a decree recognizing Márton's heroic virtues, bestowing him with the title "the Venerable". The second and current (since 2012)
postulator A postulator is the person who guides a cause for beatification or canonization through the judicial processes required by the Catholic Church. The qualifications, role and function of the postulator are spelled out in the ''Norms to be Observed i ...
for this cause is Monsignor Kovács Gergely.


Gallery

File:Márton Áron (1896-1980) katolikus püspök.jpg, Márton circa 1920 File:Márton Áron, Erdély püspöke (1).JPG, Portrait bust in Áron Márton Square, Budapest File:Marton Aron - panoramio.jpg, Statue outside of "St. Michael" Church in Cluj-Napoca File:Gyulafehérvár, római katolikus székesegyház sírjai 2022 04.jpg, Sarcophagus of Áron Márton in St. Michael's Cathedral, Alba Iulia, after the reinternment of his remains in 2016


See also

* Holocaust in Hungary


References


External links

*
Áron Márton official site

Statue




{{DEFAULTSORT:Marton, Aron 1896 births 1980 deaths 20th-century venerated Christians 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Romania Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Burials at St. Michael's Cathedral, Alba Iulia People from Harghita County People detained by the Securitate Romanian people of World War II Romanian Righteous Among the Nations Romanian anti-communist clergy Romanian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Romanian human rights activists Romanian academics Romanian religious leaders of Hungarian descent Romanian theologians Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Alba Iulia Székely people Hungarian venerated Catholics Catholic Righteous Among the Nations Romanian venerated Catholics