Lajos Kada

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.^[1] He was the Academy's first Hungarian student.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[2] He received his episcopal consecration from Cardinal Jean-Marie Villot on 20 July 1975.^[3]

On 15 October 1980, Pope John Paul II appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to El Salvador as well.^[4]

On 8 April 1984, Pope John Paul moved him to the Roman Curia, naming him Secretary of the Congregation of the Sacraments.^[5]

On 22 August 1991, Pope John Paul returned him to the diplomatic corps, appointing him Apostolic Nuncio to Germany.^[6]

On 22 September 1995, Pope John Paul named him Apostolic Nuncio to Spain,^[7] to which he added, on 8 March 1996, the responsibilities of Apostolic Nuncio to Andorra.^[8] His tenure in Spain was marked by disputes with the government about religious education and church finances;^[9] he made his hostility to Catalan nationalism clear as well.^[10]

He retired when replaced as Apostolic Nuncio to Spain and Andorra on 1 March 2000.^[11]

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

• Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Lajos Kada ^{[self-published]}