Lajos Kada

Lajos Kada (16 November 1924 – 26 November 2001) was a Hungarian prelate of the Catholic Church who spent most of his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, serving also in the Roman Curia.

File:Escudo de Lajos Kada.svg

Biography

Lajos Kada was born in Budapest, Hungary, on 16 November 1924. He was ordained a priest on 10 October 1948.

To prepare for a diplomatic career he entered the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in 1955.{{cite web|publisher=Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy|language =it|access-date = 8 December 2019 | title = Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica, Ex-alunni 1950 – 1999 |url = https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_academies/acdeccles/documents/1950-1999.htm }} He was the Academy's first Hungarian student.{{cn|date=December 2019}} He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1957 and worked in the diplomatic missions in Pakistan, Scandinavia (based in Denmark), Germany (Bonn), and Argentina.{{cn|date=December 2019}}

He was working at the Pontifical Council Cor Unum when, on 20 June 1975, Pope Paul VI named him a titular archbishop and Apostolic Nuncio to Costa Rica.{{cite book | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-67-1975-ocr.pdf | pages =463, 494 | date= 1975 | volume = LXVII | access-date = 8 December 2019 }} He received his episcopal consecration from Cardinal Jean-Marie Villot on 20 July 1975.{{Cite web|title=Archbishop Lajos Kada [Catholic-Hierarchy]|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bkada.html|access-date=2021-01-20|website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}

On 15 October 1980, Pope John Paul II appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to El Salvador as well.{{cite book | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-72-1980-ocr.pdf | page= 1069 | date= 1980 | volume = LXXII | access-date = 8 December 2019 }}

On 8 April 1984, Pope John Paul moved him to the Roman Curia, naming him Secretary of the Congregation of the Sacraments.{{cite book | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-76-1984-ocr.pdf | page= 508 | date= 1984 | volume = LXXVI | access-date = 8 December 2019 }}

On 22 August 1991, Pope John Paul returned him to the diplomatic corps, appointing him Apostolic Nuncio to Germany.{{cite book | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-83-1991-ocr.pdf | page= 785 | date= 1991 | volume = LXXXIII | access-date = 8 December 2019 }}

On 22 September 1995, Pope John Paul named him Apostolic Nuncio to Spain,{{cite book | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-87-1995-ocr.pdf | page= 920| date= 1995 | volume = LXXXVII | access-date = 8 December 2019 }} to which he added, on 8 March 1996, the responsibilities of Apostolic Nuncio to Andorra.{{cite book | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-88-1996-ocr.pdf | page= 358 | date= 1996 | volume = LXXXVIII | access-date = 8 December 2019 }} His tenure in Spain was marked by disputes with the government about religious education and church finances;{{cite news | access-date = 8 December 2019 | date = 17 February 2000 | title = El nuncio del Papa en España deja su cargo tras cumplir 75 años | language = es | work = El País | first = Juan G. | last = Bedoya | url = https://elpais.com/diario/2000/02/17/sociedad/950742010_850215.html }} he made his hostility to Catalan nationalism clear as well.{{cite book | access-date = 8 December 2019 | pages= 132–3 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=l7uDDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA132 | title = Religion and Politics in Spain: The Spanish Church in Transition, 1962-96 | date= 1998 | publisher = Springer | first = Audrey | last = Brassloff | isbn= 9780333995006 }}

He retired when replaced as Apostolic Nuncio to Spain and Andorra on 1 March 2000.{{cite press release | publisher = Holy See Press Office | access-date = 25 July 2019 | date = 1 March 2000| url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2000/03/01/0134/00510.html| title = Rinunce e Nomine, 01.03.2000 | language = it}}

After years of fighting cancer, Kada died in Budapest on 26 November 2001.