Latest news with #Erdo
RTÉ News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Peter Erdo, church law expert criticised for Orban links
Long touted as a potential successor to Pope Francis, Hungary's conservative Cardinal Peter Erdo is a respected expert on canon law known for his openness towards other religions. But he has faced criticism for his ties with the government of nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose harsh views on migration clashed with those of the late Argentine pope. A conservative on issues such as gay marriage, Erdo once told a congregation that "the Church must not get involved with problems of the given moment". And after Francis's death on April 21, Erdo wrote on X that the Catholic Church "needs (to) stand firm on its doctrines". If elected, the 72-year-old would become the second pontiff to come from Europe's former Communist bloc after Poland's John Paul II. In May 2023, during his visit to Hungary, Pope Francis expressed his esteem for Erdo and emphasised the importance of his role in the Church, even if the liberal pontiff and the cardinal did not share the same approach. Ecclesiastical fast track Born in 1952 as the first of six children in a Catholic family in Budapest, Erdo has been on the ecclesiastical fast track his entire career. He studied at the seminary of Esztergom, north of Budapest, and was ordained as a priest in 1975. His parents were fiercely anti-Communist Catholics under a Communist regime that frowned on religion. After gaining a doctorate in theology, he moved to Rome in 1977 to obtain another doctorate, this time in canon, or church law, before returning to Hungary to teach theology at the Esztergom seminary. He also lectured at universities around Europe and published numerous articles on canon law. He became a bishop in 2000, was appointed archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest in 2002 and was created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2003. Aged just 51, he was Europe's youngest cardinal at the time. A polyglot who speaks seven languages, Erdo was elected in 2006 as president of the Council of Bishops' Conferences of Europe and reelected in 2011, all when he was still in his 50s. Known for his enthusiasm for evangelism, as well as his openness towards other religions, particularly the Jewish community in Hungary, he said at a Holocaust commemoration event in 2012 that "anti-Semitism has no place in Christianity". Erdo has also spearheaded relations with the Orthodox churches and developed "city missions" in Budapest, encouraging lay people to visit homes to urge their neighbours to return to the Church. His theological expertise has gained him prominence within the Catholic Church worldwide and has been recognised with honorary doctorates from various prestigious universities. 'Servile silence' But the Hungarian Church's close ties to the government have come under scrutiny in recent years. Catholic churches and church-run schools have received lavish state funding from nationalist Orban, who describes his government as "Christian conservative". According to Erdo's critics, the largesse has bought Church silence on Orban's often hardline anti-migrant and anti-poor policies, such as a draconian asylum system and the criminalisation of homelessness. In 2015, when thousands of asylum seekers were entering Hungary daily, Erdo himself said hosting migrants could legally amount to "human-trafficking".
Sydney Morning Herald
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
How George Pell could shape the outcome of the papal conclave – from beyond the grave
His family was forced to flee Hungary with just the clothes on their backs after invading Soviet troops burned down their family home in 1956. He has maintained a quiet, rigorous stewardship of the Hungarian church – largely untouched by Vatican scandal or headlines. Canon law, the body of laws and regulations governing the Catholic Church, plays a central role in Erdo's work. Loading He is, as one Vatican observer put it, 'Francis' opposite in almost every way.' In his dual role as pastor and academic, Erdo has earned respect across ideological lines. Yet, his conservative credentials are clear. He has publicly opposed Communion for remarried divorcees, refused to blur doctrinal lines on sexuality, and views the concept of synodality – a way of governing the church that emphasises listening and active participation by all members of the faithful – with a cautious legal eye. 'If faith is the most important thing in life, then serving the faith of others, passing on the faith, teaching the faith, and especially ministering at the liturgy, are the greatest things in life, the most important things one can do, and most useful, also for the salvation of others,' he said in an interview last year. For the bloc of cardinals disillusioned with Francis's papacy – and alarmed by what they view as doctrinal experimentation – Erdo is the antidote. His candidacy, which was once whispered on the margins, is now said to be discussed in the frescoed halls of the Apostolic Palace. 'Many Catholics feel that the church needs to be brought back from a sense of ecclesiastical lawlessness that evolved under Francis,' said Vatican analyst Edward Pentin, one of Rome's most respected Vatican observers. 'Erdo would be a safe pair of hands.' Dreher believes the fact that a man of Pell's stature and conviction has backed him was 'a powerful endorsement'. Not a populist, not a revolutionary, he would be, for many conservatives, a living answer to the Italian adage: 'Papa grasso, papa magro' – fat pope, thin pope – the pendulum swing that suggests a progressive pope is often followed by a conservative one. Dr Paul Collins, a church historian and former priest, says Erdo will be the candidate of those who want to 'move away from Pope Francis' agenda completely'. Loading Some of those cardinals, he says, are sceptical of Catholics embracing causes like environmentalism or gay rights as spiritual equivalents to church doctrine. 'They feel this leads to the loss of a specifically Christian and Catholic identity,' Collins says, 'and they want to reassert what is distinctively Catholic.' Pell's support, he says, 'tells you everything'. He also notes that with Francis having appointed eight in 10 of the 133 cardinals entering the conclave, it seems unlikely that the conservative bloc supporting Erdo will have enough influence to elect him pope. 'I am not quite sure the conservatives are that powerful and organised any more either,' he says. 'And George's advocacy didn't always work the way he thought it would.' Having been described as the favoured candidate of Hungary's right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also likely dented Erdo's chances. Loading The conclave, which begins May 7, will be a reckoning. The general congregations held last week saw fierce debate behind closed doors. While some cardinals praised Francis, others – including Beniamino Stella, once thought to be in his inner circle – openly criticised his reforms, especially the decision to give top Vatican posts to laypeople, including women. Conservative stalwart Cardinal Joseph Zen used his address to decry the synodal process itself, calling it a dilution of episcopal authority – the power and responsibility bishops hold over the Church's governance, doctrine, and pastoral care. For many in this camp, Erdo has emerged not only as their voice but as their hope – a potential unifier for traditionalists across regions. Loading But he is not alone and starts, according to many, a long way back. Pietro Parolin remains a front-runner, particularly for those who value diplomatic experience. Matteo Zuppi, a Francis ally, is admired for his work on peace negotiations but may be viewed as too progressive. Luis Antonio Tagle retains support among global South cardinals, though his 2019 rendition of Imagine - which has been shared on social media, continues to haunt him in conservative circles. They don't like the thought of a world with no religion. Another rising name is Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. He has been praised for his steady leadership in the Middle East and deep knowledge of Scripture. Pentin believes he may have a real shot, but notes: 'At 60, maybe he is a bit young. Cardinals may be hesitant to elect someone who could quite conceivably be around a long time. But maybe they will, if they value stability.'
The Age
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
How George Pell could shape the outcome of the papal conclave – from beyond the grave
His family was forced to flee Hungary with just the clothes on their backs after invading Soviet troops burned down their family home in 1956. He has maintained a quiet, rigorous stewardship of the Hungarian church – largely untouched by Vatican scandal or headlines. Canon law, the body of laws and regulations governing the Catholic Church, plays a central role in Erdo's work. Loading He is, as one Vatican observer put it, 'Francis' opposite in almost every way.' In his dual role as pastor and academic, Erdo has earned respect across ideological lines. Yet, his conservative credentials are clear. He has publicly opposed Communion for remarried divorcees, refused to blur doctrinal lines on sexuality, and views the concept of synodality – a way of governing the church that emphasises listening and active participation by all members of the faithful – with a cautious legal eye. 'If faith is the most important thing in life, then serving the faith of others, passing on the faith, teaching the faith, and especially ministering at the liturgy, are the greatest things in life, the most important things one can do, and most useful, also for the salvation of others,' he said in an interview last year. For the bloc of cardinals disillusioned with Francis's papacy – and alarmed by what they view as doctrinal experimentation – Erdo is the antidote. His candidacy, which was once whispered on the margins, is now said to be discussed in the frescoed halls of the Apostolic Palace. 'Many Catholics feel that the church needs to be brought back from a sense of ecclesiastical lawlessness that evolved under Francis,' said Vatican analyst Edward Pentin, one of Rome's most respected Vatican observers. 'Erdo would be a safe pair of hands.' Dreher believes the fact that a man of Pell's stature and conviction has backed him was 'a powerful endorsement'. Not a populist, not a revolutionary, he would be, for many conservatives, a living answer to the Italian adage: 'Papa grasso, papa magro' – fat pope, thin pope – the pendulum swing that suggests a progressive pope is often followed by a conservative one. Dr Paul Collins, a church historian and former priest, says Erdo will be the candidate of those who want to 'move away from Pope Francis' agenda completely'. Loading Some of those cardinals, he says, are sceptical of Catholics embracing causes like environmentalism or gay rights as spiritual equivalents to church doctrine. 'They feel this leads to the loss of a specifically Christian and Catholic identity,' Collins says, 'and they want to reassert what is distinctively Catholic.' Pell's support, he says, 'tells you everything'. He also notes that with Francis having appointed eight in 10 of the 133 cardinals entering the conclave, it seems unlikely that the conservative bloc supporting Erdo will have enough influence to elect him pope. 'I am not quite sure the conservatives are that powerful and organised any more either,' he says. 'And George's advocacy didn't always work the way he thought it would.' Having been described as the favoured candidate of Hungary's right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also likely dented Erdo's chances. Loading The conclave, which begins May 7, will be a reckoning. The general congregations held last week saw fierce debate behind closed doors. While some cardinals praised Francis, others – including Beniamino Stella, once thought to be in his inner circle – openly criticised his reforms, especially the decision to give top Vatican posts to laypeople, including women. Conservative stalwart Cardinal Joseph Zen used his address to decry the synodal process itself, calling it a dilution of episcopal authority – the power and responsibility bishops hold over the Church's governance, doctrine, and pastoral care. For many in this camp, Erdo has emerged not only as their voice but as their hope – a potential unifier for traditionalists across regions. Loading But he is not alone and starts, according to many, a long way back. Pietro Parolin remains a front-runner, particularly for those who value diplomatic experience. Matteo Zuppi, a Francis ally, is admired for his work on peace negotiations but may be viewed as too progressive. Luis Antonio Tagle retains support among global South cardinals, though his 2019 rendition of Imagine - which has been shared on social media, continues to haunt him in conservative circles. They don't like the thought of a world with no religion. Another rising name is Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. He has been praised for his steady leadership in the Middle East and deep knowledge of Scripture. Pentin believes he may have a real shot, but notes: 'At 60, maybe he is a bit young. Cardinals may be hesitant to elect someone who could quite conceivably be around a long time. But maybe they will, if they value stability.'
New York Times
05-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Cardinal Erdo of Hungary Is a Favorite of Conservatives to Become Pope
When more than a million refugees and economic migrants poured into Europe a decade ago, Pope Francis urged compassion and, in a display of empathy and support, washed the feet of 12 asylum seekers at an Italian reception center. Cardinal Peter Erdo, the Hungarian archbishop considered a contender to succeed Francis, took a different approach: Citing legal obstacles, he ordered church doors in Hungary closed to migrants, saying that 'we would become human smugglers if we took in refugees.' He reversed his position after an audience with Francis, and he never embraced the inflammatory messaging on migrants of Hungary's populist prime minister, Viktor Orban. But the episode appalled liberals and pleased conservatives wary of the pope's welcoming ways. And it helped establish Cardinal Erdo, the archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, as a standard-bearer for forces within the Roman Catholic Church that want to reverse what they see as Francis' overemphasis on emotional gestures at the expense of rules and doctrine. Multilingual and an authority on canon law, Cardinal Erdo has written extensively on arcane aspects of the church's legal system and devoted much of his career to scholarship. Apart from a two-year stint as a parish priest after his ordination in 1975, he has had little direct experience dealing with the day-to-day problems of churchgoers. That could work against him as the church faces the challenge of reversing a steady drift toward secularism across Europe. 'He is a lawyer, not a pastor,' said Istvan Gegeny, the president of the Szemlelek Foundation, a Hungarian group that runs a Catholic news portal. 'Intellectually, he is a genius who can think about five different things at the same time,' he said, 'but he has never been close to people. He relates to them in a formal way, not emotionally.' Cardinal Erdo has also developed ties to many of the cardinals who will choose the next pope. He is a familiar figure among Catholic leaders in the West, who constitute a powerful, though divided, voting bloc in the conclave, having served from 2006 to 2016 as president of the Council of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe. He has also built bridges with Catholic leaders in Latin America and Africa. Like Pope John Paul II of Poland, who became the first pontiff from Eastern Europe in 1978, Cardinal Erdo, 72, entered the priesthood during communist rule of his home country. It was a time of forced compromises that left a deep mark on his outlook. Some conservatives support Cardinal Erdo in the belief he would return the church to the time of John Paul and his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, a theologian of deep scholarship and sometime dogmatic views, and put an end to Francis' progressive ideas. But Hungarians who have worked with him say he is less doctrinaire than some fans believe. 'He is a liberal conservative,' said Tibor Gorfol, the editor of Vigilia, the Hungarian church's official journal. 'He is not a real hard-liner' and 'never directly criticized Pope Francis,' he said. Cardinal Erdo supported the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, which sought to modernize the language used by the church in services, among other changes. But he has spoken out against allowing divorced Catholics to receive communion and against priests blessing gay couples. In a 2019 interview with Robert Moynihan, the editor in chief of Inside the Vatican magazine, Cardinal Erdo spoke of a need to 'guard the flame' of traditional Christian faith in an increasingly secular world. In Hungary, however, Cardinal Erdo has had no success in slowing a rising secular tide. Appointed archbishop in 2002 by John Paul, Cardinal Erdo was in charge during a decline in the number of Hungarians who declare themselves Roman Catholics. Between 2011 and 2022, according to official census results, the number fell by more than a million to 2.6 million. That jolted the Hungarian church and Mr. Orban, who trumpets Hungary as a bastion of Christian values. Cardinal Erdo has generally avoided intervening in Hungary's polarized politics but stirred outrage in 2023 by attending a picnic held by senior figures in the governing Fidesz party. He also dismayed liberal-minded Hungarian Catholics by failing to defend Francis against a campaign of abuse by Fidesz during Europe's migration crisis. Peter Marki-Zay, a churchgoing Catholic mayor who led a failed opposition campaign against Mr. Orban in a 2022 election, described Cardinal Erdo as a 'typical communist era bishop in Hungary' who 'won't take a stand on anything.' Hungarian Catholics who have worked with him say that silence reflected his cautious personality and a desire to avoid antagonizing a government that has lavished funding on the church. Cardinal Erdo also initially stayed quiet in response to allegations of sexual abuse against a Catholic priest made by a man who said in 2003 that he had been molested as a child. Cardinal Erdo later suspended the priest. 'Silence is unfortunately the main strategy of the Hungarian Catholic Church' under Cardinal Erdo, said Mr. Gorfol, the editor. A spokesman for Cardinal Erdo did not respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hungary's Erdo: church law expert criticised for Orban links
Long touted as a potential successor to Pope Francis, Hungary's conservative Cardinal Peter Erdo is a respected expert on canon law known for his openness toward other religions. But he has faced criticism for his ties with the government of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose harsh views on migration clashed with those of the late Argentine pope. A conservative on issues such as gay marriage, Erdo once told a congregation that "the Church must not get involved with problems of the given moment". And after Francis's death on April 21, Erdo wrote on X that the Catholic Church "needs (to) stand firm on its doctrines". If elected, the stern-faced 72-year-old would become the second pontiff to come from Europe's former Communist bloc after Poland's John Paul II. In May 2023, during his visit to Hungary, Pope Francis expressed his esteem for Erdo and emphasised the importance of his role in the Church, even if the liberal pontiff and the cardinal did not share the same approach. Zoltan Laky, a journalist at conservative Valasz Online, told AFP that Erdo took stances "closer to the doctrinally rigid wing of the Church" on marriage, celibacy, and same-sex blessings. However, he said the cardinal was nonetheless "pragmatic and diplomatic". - Ecclesiastical fast track - Born in 1952 as the first of six children in a Catholic family in Budapest, Erdo has been on the ecclesiastical fast track his entire career. He studied at the seminary of Esztergom, north of Budapest, and was ordained as a priest in 1975. His parents were fiercely anti-Communist Catholics under a Communist regime that frowned on religion. After gaining a doctorate in theology, he moved to Rome in 1977 to obtain another doctorate, this time in canon, or church law, before returning to Hungary to teach theology at the Esztergom seminary. He also lectured at universities around Europe and published numerous articles on canon law. He became a bishop in 2000, was appointed archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest in 2002 and was created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2003. Aged just 51, he was Europe's youngest cardinal at the time. A polyglot who speaks seven languages, Erdo was elected in 2006 as president of the Council of Bishops' Conferences of Europe and reelected in 2011, all when he was still in his 50s. Known for his enthusiasm for evangelism, as well as his openness towards other religions, particularly the Jewish community in Hungary, he said at a Holocaust commemoration event in 2012 that "anti-Semitism has no place in Christianity". Erdo has also spearheaded relations with the Orthodox churches and developed "city missions" in Budapest, encouraging lay people to visit homes to urge their neighbours to return to the Church. In a 2012 interview, Erdo told a Hungarian newspaper: "The duty of cardinals is to represent faith, hope and love." His theological expertise has gained him prominence within the Catholic Church worldwide and has been recognised with honorary doctorates from various prestigious universities. - 'Servile silence' - But the Hungarian Church's close ties to the government have come under scrutiny in recent years. Catholic churches and church-run schools have received lavish state funding from nationalist Orban, who describes his government as "Christian conservative". According to Erdo's critics, the largesse has bought Church silence on Orban's often hardline anti-migrant and anti-poor policies, such as a draconian asylum system and the criminalisation of homelessness. Erdo's time has been "characterised by a servile silence, never confronting the increasingly dictatorial Orban regime", according to theologist Rita Perintfalvi. "He is guilty because he never spoke out when the Hungarian government was violating fundamental human rights in a very blatant manner," she told AFP. In 2015, when thousands of asylum seekers were entering Hungary daily, Erdo himself said hosting migrants could legally amount to "human-trafficking". Erdo has also been criticised for his muted response to paedophilia accusations within the Hungarian Church. Under Erdo's watch, the number of self-professed Catholics in Hungary has almost halved over two decades to 2.9 million in 2022, census data shows. pmu-mg-ros/jza/ar/jj/tc
