Catholic Church in Hungary

Catholic Church in Hungary
Catholic Church in Hungary
	Esztergom Basilica
Classification	Catholic
Orientation	Latin and Eastern Catholic
Pope	Leo XIV
Leader	Cardinal Péter Erdő; Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest ; The Primate of Hungary
Region	Hungary
Headquarters	Esztergom, Hungary
Founder	Stephen I of Hungary
Origin	1000 ; Esztergom, Hungary
Separations	Reformed Church in Hungary
Members	5 890 000 (2023)

Religion in Hungary (Eurobarometer September 2019)^[1]

Hungarian Catholics, like elsewhere, are part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.

According to a 2019 survey by Eurobarometer, 62% of Hungarians consider themselves Catholics. The Latin Church in the country is divided into 12 dioceses, including 4 archdioceses. In addition, there is a Latin territorial abbey and a separate sui juris particular Church for those who adhere to the Byzantine Rite known as the Hungarian Greek Catholic Church.

Caritas Hungary is the social and humanitarian relief arm of the Church.

Cardinal Péter Erdő was seen as a leading candidate in the 2025 papal conclave.^[2]^[3] He gained significant support and was the favored choice of conservative Catholic networks in the United States,^[4] Erdő participated in the papal conclave 2005 and the papal conclave 2013, which elected Benedict XVI and Francis.

^ Special Eurobarometer 493, European Union: European Commission, September 2019, pages 229-230 Retrieved 17 January 2020. The question asked was "Do you consider yourself to be...?" With a card showing: Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Protestant, Other Christian, Jewish, Muslim - Shia, Muslim - Sunni, Other Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, Non believer/Agnostic and Other. Also space was given for Refusal (SPONTANEOUS) and Don't Know. Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist and Hindu did not reach the 1% threshold.
^ "Who Will Be the Next Pope? Here Are Some Possible Contenders". The New York Times. New York City. April 21, 2025. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
^ "Who will be the next pope? Some potential candidates to succeed Francis". The Guardian. April 21, 2025. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
^ Dias, Elizabeth (2025-05-06). "Days Before Conclave, Conservative Catholics Take the Stage in Rome". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-06. Some leading American conservatives considered Cardinal Peter Erdo of Hungary a preferable choice for the next pope. He also has the support of the prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, and was supported by Cardinal George Pell of Australia, who died in 2023.