SANCTIFYING OFFICE

Approach to the Liturgy

Cardinal Erdő once described the liturgy as a “beautiful work” and views many developments in liturgy ushered in by the Second Vatican Council, such as the change from Latin to the vernacular, as continuous with tradition.¹Ibid.

For him, “continuity has remained” and he especially welcomes the Council’s revision of Mass readings. ²Ibid. The Tridentine Mass, which usually has only two readings — the Epistle and the Gospel — neglected the Old Testament. But Erdő believes that the Old Testament readings help worshippers to understand better the Christian way, especially given that “the history of salvation of the New Testament appears already in prefigured form” in the Old Testament.³Ibid. Although Erdő has thus welcomed the “rediscovery of the Old Testament,” he nevertheless acknowledges that “there are few priests or theologians who can explain these texts well.”⁴Ibid. The cardinal prefers the Ordinary Form of the Mass but is willing to permit the Extraordinary Form and will support it if called to do so.

In keeping with his appreciation of the expanded use of Scripture in the post–Vatican II liturgy, Erdő emphasizes the duty of priests given in the Code of Canon Law to explain Holy Scripture in their Sunday homilies. He is critical of homilies that turn into a “free discourse on any topic” and desires that priests explain “all the mysteries of salvation throughout the course of the three-year cycle.”⁵Ibid.

The Eucharist

According to Cardinal Erdő, the Christian priesthood and the Eucharist are “closely related” — or better, “inextricably linked” — to each other. The priest can discover “the beauty and power” of his vocation only when he “really worships the Eucharist as the supreme and most dignified gift of Christ, in which his redeeming sacrifice itself becomes present.” There is only one High Priest, Jesus Christ, and the priest himself, through the sacrament of Holy Orders, shares in this one priesthood. Erdő’s understanding of the role of the priest in the liturgy reflects the words of St. Pope Paul VI: that priests should celebrate the Mass every day with such dignity and devotion that not only they but all the faithful become partakers in the fruits of Christ’s redemption on the Cross.

The Priesthood

The sacrament of Holy Orders bestows on the priest the grace to act in persona Christi and the indelible character that empowers him to perform valid sacraments. There is an inextricable bond between the priest, the Church, and the Eucharist: “Without holy ordination, there is no Church because there is no Eucharist, and without the Eucharist, there is no Church.”⁶Ibid. Cardinal Erdő emphasizes the importance for any priestly ministry to have Christ as the center: “But God’s grace can be especially effective if people feel that [priests] are really in love with God and consider him the center of [their] lives.”

Erdő does not suggest making celibacy optional for the Latin-Rite priests but, rather, emphasizes the value of the celibate way of life by pointing to the example that Jesus Christ Himself left His disciples: “We come to know the real Jesus Christ through the Gospels, [and] we know that he had a celibate life, he had a life totally consecrated to God, and he also recommended this chastity to those of his disciples who were able to understand.”⁷Ibid. Erdő acknowledges that celibacy is handled differently in the Eastern tradition. He nevertheless points out that though there are married priests in the Orthodox churches, those churches still maintain the tradition of ordaining bishops chosen only from the group of celibate priests. There is, furthermore, a strong monastic tradition in these churches that have a great appreciation for the ideal of celibacy.

The cardinal admits that chastity and celibacy are not easy ways of life and require a special grace of God. But he sees “an internal spiritual relationship” between the “apostolic mission, the episcopal and the priestly mission, and the celibate life.” ⁸Ibid. He also refers to the teaching of St. Paul, who recommends chastity and celibacy “in order to give oneself completely to this ministry and to not be divided.”⁹Ibid.

Erdő defends the hierarchical structure of the Church as instituted by Christ, with its threefold office structure consisting of the bishop, the priest, and the deacon, but he emphasizes the servant character of that structure, stressing again and again the pope’s title as “servant of the servants of God.”

The clergy have received special graces through Holy Orders, not only to lead but also to teach and to sanctify, graces that enable them to execute tasks that, according to Erdő, are reserved to them — first and foremost, of course, the celebration of the Eucharist, but also other tasks, such as giving homilies. Erdő counters demands for more democracy in the Church by emphasizing that the Church is not a democracy but rather a “Christocracy,” with Jesus ruling because He is its head.¹⁰Peter Erdő, Csak a Kegyelem (Budapest: Cairo Publisher, 2003), 77. The Church must follow Christ’s example and cannot act on its own authority.

GOVERNING OFFICE

Early Ministry

Cardinal Erdő exhibited a pastoral heart from the beginning of his discernment of the priesthood: “Helping people in the most important thing, in the matter of salvation,” was the driving force behind his decision to become a priest.¹¹Moynihan and Somogyi, Guarding the Flame.

Erdő’s first assignment was in the coal-mining town of Dorog. He described it as a “mission place,” a place that had lived on old tradition but had not offered a religious education in its schools for a long time. In Dorog, Erdő found religion to be distant.¹²Erdő, Csak a Kegyelem, 22. There, he worked with various church groups, visited the hospital, and helped out in neighboring parishes. His ministry was constrained by communist regulations that allowed religious activities only in the church building itself. In spite of these constraints, Erdő retains good memories of this assignment. Around the same time, he began working as defender of the bond at the diocesan tribunal of the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest.

Erdő was appointed a bishop in 1999, while he was in Rome working as an expert priest of the synod for Europe. From the very beginning of his episcopacy, according to an anecdote he remembers, the expression of God’s mercy has accompanied him. ¹³He remembers that at the end of that synod, preparing for the procession to enter St. Peter’s Basilica, the president of the Hungarian conference of bishops asked him if he would be ordained a bishop, the choir was singing “Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo” (I will sing the mercies of the Lord forever). Moynihan and Somogyi, Guarding the Flame. His coat of arms bears the motto “In the Beginning There Was Nothing but Grace.” Only a few years later, Erdő became archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and thus primate of Hungary.

Cardinal Erdő takes very seriously the many duties the Code of Canon Law ascribes to the office of the bishop. He also places great trust in the providence of God and knows that in the end, it is Christ who acts.

Evangelization and Youth

Notwithstanding the many important practical problems people now face, such as those affecting marital and family life as well as social solidarity more generally, Cardinal Erdő maintains that the “people today have a hunger and thirst for Christ,” that “the world is in need of hope: of the hope of Christ.” He therefore emphasizes the need for a new evangelization, because the gospel message, grounded in the person of Jesus Christ, must never be lost. According to Erdő, it is particularly the task of parish communities and of ecclesial movements to “open to the world around them, to nonbelievers, to those who are in need of the Good News of Jesus Christ.”

With regard to youths and young adults, Cardinal Erdő notes that many “are afraid of existential choices” such as marriage, career, or priestly or religious vocations. With this in mind, he set up specialized programs in his archdiocese to work with the youth. These programs aim at both catechesis and marriage preparation.

Having recognized both the need and the desire for a new evangelization, Erdő reintroduced at the parish level old traditions that echoed religious practice before the communist era. ¹⁴For example, mission crosses. He furthermore “tried to deepen the conviction and zeal” of those working at the parish level: priests, deacons, religious — and also laypeople.¹⁵Moynihan and Somogyi, Guarding the Flame. He then encouraged parishes to open their doors, in an effort to “get in touch, even through the local media, with non-believers who were not familiar with the Church.”¹⁶Ibid.

Mission is a central element of Cardinal Erdő’s pastoral work. In the early 2000s, for example, Budapest sent a large delegation to take part in missionary work in five other European cities, aimed at reviving the cities’ religious roots. Great mission celebrations in various cities, processions with the Blessed Sacrament, penance days in different churches, and other initiatives were meant to evangelize or re-evangelize the people in his diocese and in the country.

Attracting Vocations

Another urgent problem Cardinal Erdő has dealt with is the decreasing number of priests in Hungary. The Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest in particular suffers from a priest shortage that is severe even compared with other dioceses in Hungary. The urban public transportation system and the compact nature of the area enable the faithful to find their way to other parishes that offer Mass when their parish does not. But the shortage is still so acute that cluster parishes have been established, and priests from foreign countries have been invited to come to Budapest.¹⁷Erdő, Csak a Kegyelem, 55.

Migrants and Refugees

Due to its geographical location in the heart of Europe, Hungary has long experience with migrants and travelers, and it was a major crossroads during the recent surge of peoples from the Middle East. Cardinal Erdő has addressed this issue at various times, indicating a balanced approach, with strong emphases on the just limits of any country’s obligations to accept new residents and the obligations of immigrants to respect the laws and traditions of the host country.

On the one hand, Erdő affirms that every human being has the “sacrosanct right to try to survive,” which means that in cases of life- threatening natural disasters or economic or political instabilities in their home countries, people have the right to try to find a safe haven.¹⁸Moynihan and Somogyi, Guarding the Flame. But Erdő is also very much aware of the challenges of immigration. Alongside his recognition of the basic human right to leave one’s home country in order to find a better place to live, he also offers a realistic assessment of the challenges posed by large influxes of immigrants to certain European countries. He warns that the capacity of countries to integrate refugees without endangering their own political stability and public order is limited: “You cannot tell the Europeans that they are obliged to allow the whole world into their countries, because that would break down the public order.”¹⁹Ibid. The cardinal, therefore, pleads for a “true balance between the key elements of solidarity and mercy.”²⁰Ibid.

In a 2016 homily, Erdő explicitly linked the Christian duty to help refugees and people in need to the Bible and especially to the Fourth Commandment. He mentioned that the “act of mercy must be seen in the context of parental responsibilities and love in the family” and “helping parents, children, brothers, and sisters does not stop at the boundaries of family and kinship, but must also be open to other people who suffer.”

Integration, Erdő argues, means primarily “respect for the laws, first of all, in the country that one has come to” and also “respect for the institutions.” Erdő’s convictions about immigration and integration were tested in 2015, when Hungary became the focal point of the refugee crisis in Europe. Hundreds of thousands of refugees, especially from Syria but also from other countries facing civil wars, were stranded in Budapest and other major cities on their way to Germany, France, and elsewhere. Although at first, Erdő refused to open parishes for refugees, pointing to legal obstacles and stating that “we would become human smugglers if we’d taken in refugees,” he revised this statement after an audience with Pope Francis. Erdő then declared: “We will readily and happily follow [the pope’s] advice on taking in and helping refugees.”

In 2022, the cardinal expressed deep concern and solidarity regarding the Ukraine War and highlighted the significant efforts of Catholic charities in Hungary which supported refugees fleeing the conflict. Erdo also stressed the importance of “an ecumenical relationship” between the Catholic Church and the Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox churches in providing help, adding: “We believe in the strength of prayer… we allow the people we pray for into our hearts.”

Persecuted Christians and Islam

Erdő especially emphasizes the Christian duty to care and pray for persecuted Christians fleeing from their homelands, reminding the faithful that “we are closely associated with the persecuted Christians. We see Christ’s disciples in them.”

Cardinal Erdő seems to hold a benign view of Islam, or at least of the prospect of significant Muslim immigration to Hungary. Responding in an interview in 2015 to reports of widespread fear of Islam and even of a creeping invasion of Muslims into Europe (and of concerns that Islam is incompatible with Western values and traditions), Erdő pointed to Hungary’s history and its long experience with the religion. He thinks there are “signs of nervousness with regard to the presence of Islamic communities in Western countries” but also argues that this nervousness “is unjustified.” The reason for this nervousness is not to be found in Islam but, rather, in the fact that many people “have become uncertain of their own identity.” That Westerners’ sense that their own identity has become uncertain through relativism and individualism has led, Erdő maintains, to inordinate fear when these people face minorities with a strong sense of their own identity.

Ecumenical Relations

The necessity of knowing one’s own Faith seems to be, for Erdő, the prerequisite for dealing with other faith communities. His attitude toward the Orthodox is very positive. He points to the large communion and the many common beliefs the Catholic and the Orthodox churches share, and he worked personally on the preparation of the Catholic-Orthodox Forum, a network of European Orthodox churches and all the bishops’ conferences of Europe. Although he complains about tendencies in several Protestant communities to “move very quickly away from their own traditions,” Erdő nevertheless acknowledges the merits of these communities and values dialogue with them.

The cardinal also supports dialogue with non-Christian religions, emphasizing the value of the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Religious Freedom Dignitatis Humanae. Erdő underscores, however, that this dialogue must not lead to an attitude of indifference and a leveling of all religious beliefs.²¹Erdő, Csak a Kegyelem, 94. It is important not to abandon one’s own Catholic beliefs but to have “constructive fidelity to Christian roots, respectful toward the convictions of each individual.”²²Moynihan and Somogyi, Guarding the Flame.

International Eucharistic Congress

Cardinal Erdő hosted the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest from September 5-12, 2021, which had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He played a central role in organizing and leading this major global event, which culminated with a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis. During the event he emphasized the unifying role of the Eucharist, drawing from the Congress’ theme “All my sources are in you” (Psalm 87). “Our world today is in burning need of the testimony of a united Christianity,” he said.

GENERAL RELATOR

Among the many responsible positions he has held, one of the most publicly recognized was when he served as general relator — essentially chief organizer — for both the 2014 and 2015 synods on the family. The pivotal position is sometimes a post given to a prelate whom the pope sees as his potential successor. During that assembly Erdő was praised by some commentators for his “positive attitude,” “realism,” openness and sense of balance, while not compromising with Church teachings.

The cardinal had to contend with various attempts by persons inside and outside the synod to manipulate the meeting along heterodox lines. The most visible evidence of this occurred with the first synod’s midterm relatio (report). Although it was supposed to summarize the participants’ interventions thus far, it attempted to open the Church to accepting homosexual relationships and asked whether Christian communities were “capable” of accepting such an orientation “without compromising” Church teaching.

Those and other passages in the text about welcoming non-marital unions upset the synod fathers, as they did not reflect what they were saying and were sent out to the media before they had seen them, with the presumed intent of steering the media narrative to say the Church had significantly changed its position on such matters (some media reports called it a “stunning” change). The report carried Erdő’s signature, but he distanced himself afterward at a press conference, pointing to the special secretary of the synod, Archbishop Bruno Forte, as the true author of the most controversial passage. It was also alleged that Erdő had been browbeaten to write his introductory report for that synod to be structured in a way he did not initially support.²³Edward Pentin, The Rigging of a Vatican Synod (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2015).

But by the next synod the following year, Vaticanist Sandro Magister said Erdő had “learned his lesson” and produced “by his own pen” an introductory talk of “crystalline clarity and of impeccable adherence to the perennial doctrine of the Church, which has brought not a little surprise and irritation to the innovators.”

TEACHING OFFICE

Experience in Education

Cardinal Erdő has spent many years of his priesthood as a teacher. After obtaining a degree in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, he returned to Hungary and was sent by his bishop to Esztergom in order to teach canon law, Church history, and moral theology in the local seminary. He also taught at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University, where he eventually became rector.

After the new Code of Canon Law was promulgated in 1983, Erdő worked on its translation into Hungarian, eventually publishing a bilingual edition with annotations. He has also written an instructional book and several articles about canon law and its history. He admits that he “loves to teach” and that the passing on of ideas, thoughts, and knowledge gives him “a great feeling.”²⁴Erdő, Csak a Kegyelem, 33.

Centrality of Christ and Moral Norms

The central element of the Catholic Faith is, for Cardinal Erdő, the personal encounter with Jesus Christ: “What does it mean to be a Christian? A personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Our Lord and God.” And for him, this Jesus of Nazareth is not a mythological figure but a historical person, true God and true man. “There is a historical way to His teaching and to His works.” Like the disciples who only through meeting with the resurrected Christ began to understand and have their hearts filled with joy, so it is through our encounter that Jesus Christ “confronts us again and again with the question of what is really good for man.”

He stresses that this foundation is especially important for the Church as it faces the “grave crisis” of “relativism” in secular society, a society that is “increasingly unable to say something is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, ‘true’ or ‘false.’”

For Cardinal Erdő, it is clear that “law, morals, and religion prove to form an organic whole.”

The philosophical developments at the beginning of the nineteenth century relating to ideas of relativity and the unknowability or negation of natural law have led to “separation of law from so-called natural morals.” According to Erdő, it was exactly this separation of law from objective moral norms that “led to horrible abuses in Nazi Germany,” as was demonstrated in the trials of Nuremberg, where “it was not easy to convict people whose actions were based on current, but immoral laws.”

Erdő holds that a legal system cannot function on its own, detached from objective moral norms. In socialist societies, the regimes worked assiduously to promote voluntary obedience to the laws of the regime, but without any form of religious legitimization or “recognition of natural law.” Socialist morals, in the end, only resembled the current penal code.²⁵Moynihan and Somogyi, Guarding the Flame. Erdő explains that “if the content of morals is simply the penal code, then these kinds of morals will barely be able to strengthen the authority of the laws.”²⁶Ibid.

Erdő argues that any state decision about the question of what is good for mankind has to be based on natural law and a worldview open to religion. Any state that rejects these principles or tries to replace these principles with other ideologies risks the people’s loss of “trust in the . . . institutions.” Politicians need these fundamental and unchangeable principles even in democracies, because “the majority can end up with wrong or harmful decisions, especially if the concept of the common good becomes uncertain, because there is no consensus even on the anthropological foundations of law.”

Religious Freedom versus Communism

Erdő lived through the transition in Hungary from a communist regime to a democracy. He highlights the important role religion has played in filling the gap after the collapse of the communist ideology. This role was explicitly manifested in the new constitution of Hungary, which recognizes “churches, denominations, and religious communities [as] entities of prominent importance, capable of creating values and communities.” The cardinal prioritizes religious freedom. “The Church must by its very nature be free because it has a mission from Jesus Christ and not just a commission from some political authority.”

In the 1990s, after Hungary had become a democratic state, Erdő was involved in preparatory work on religious freedom, and as a member of the ecclesiastical delegation, he contributed to the preparation of several agreements between Hungary and the Holy See defining the relationship between the state and the Church in the country.

Erdő argues that the theory of separation of church and state has led, in many cases, to a hostile separation in which an ideological state excludes religion. He points to communist countries in particular but also considers secularism to be such an ideology. Erdő even seems to question situations in which the separation between church and state is peaceful and cooperative because, even then, the state can require “that Churches and religious communities obey the laws,” which “supposes that society has a broader ideological horizon on which laws are established.”²⁷Ibid.

Given the emergence of relativism mentioned above and the separation of legal norms from natural law, Erdő raises the question “What is the basis of the law?”²⁸Ibid. Democratic processes of majority decision-making are not adequate because even majorities can make decisions that are wrong or harmful. Erdő also doubts those who would place their hope “in an independent judge, who passes a just verdict on a fair legal basis,” given that in societies that have replaced natural law and religious views with hostile ideologies, there is an “uncertainty surrounding the concept of the common good and doubts about fair treatment on the part of the authorities.”²⁹Ibid.

Erdő concurs fully with Pope Francis’ warning about detaching human rights from their deeper roots. He argues that “fundamental rights, or the so-called human rights, should be based on an existing reality and on a certain morality, not simply on a majority decision of a body. That is, they have to have a content base too, not just a formal basis.”³⁰Ibid.

The foundation for Christian morality and values lies in the Bible. Jesus not only “left us his teaching, which was then written down,” but also “respected the Holy Scriptures, . . . read in the synagogue . . . and explained the Holy Scriptures.”³¹Ibid. The Bible is God’s way of communicating with humanity, and, as such, “we must not give up on this knowledge.”³²Ibid.

Qualified Universalism

Cardinal Erdő denies universalism — the idea that all of humankind is already saved. But he nevertheless believes that everybody can be saved. It is from revelation that we know that every human being is called to a relationship with God. But Erdő also points out that this does not mean that all of our choices must ultimately lead to God. Human beings, by sinning, can turn away from or even deny God. This denial is not final during this life: there is always the possibility of repenting and returning to God.³³Erdő, Csak a Kegyelem, 101. Erdő believes that everybody can become a member of God’s people. Jesus came in order to heal the wounds of sin and temptation and gave the Church this power to forgive sins. But there can be no forgiveness without sorrow. Mankind must cooperate to be able to participate in the fruits of redemption. Ultimately, it is only through Jesus Christ that humankind will find the way to God.³⁴Ibid., 83.

Defender of Marriage and the Family

Erdő was appointed by Pope Francis as relator general at the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 2015, responsible for providing a concise introductory statement of the topic of the synod and summarizing the debates for a closing document. In the introductory report for the Synod on the Family in 2015, Erdő confirmed the indissolubility of marriage by referring to the teaching of Jesus Christ in the Gospels and of the apostle Paul in his letters. He also sees it as “the mission of the Church” to accompany those “who live in problematic marital or family situations.”

With regard to admission to the sacraments, he distinguishes between two groups. On the one side are the separated and the divorced who have not “remarried,” who can find support by the Church on “a path of pardon and possibly of reconciliation” and who can “find in the Eucharist the nourishment they need to sustain them in their present state of life.” On the other side are those who are divorced and civilly “remarried,” whom Erdő wants to offer pastoral accompaniment while leaving “no doubt about the truth of the indissolubility of marriage taught by Jesus Christ himself.” The pardon offered through the mercy of God must go hand in hand with conversion. According to the cardinal, it is not due to the breaking up of the first marriage but rather due to the cohabitating in the second relationship that these couples cannot have access to the Eucharist. Erdő argues that this is not an “arbitrary prohibition” meant to prevent these couples from a full integration into the ecclesial community and from access to the sacraments, but rather “an intrinsic demand of varied situations and relationships.”

Erdő supported and affirms the teaching of Pope John Paul II in Familiaris Consortio that divorced-and-“remarried” couples who cannot end their relationship because of their children can have access to the sacrament of Penance and the Eucharist only if they “practice continence by the strength of grace” and live a “relationship of mutual help and friendship.” Erdő also pointed to this encyclical for illustrations of other ways to integrate such couples into the ecclesial community “apart from admission to the Eucharist.”

The principle guiding all of Erdő’s thinking about pastoral solutions to this problem is that fidelity to the indissolubility of marriage cannot be linked to the practical recognition of the goodness of concrete situations that are opposite and therefore irreconcilable. Indeed, Erdő strikingly affirmed the nonnegotiable quality of basic moral norms. He emphasized that “between true and false, between good and evil, in fact, there is no graduality” and that “even if some forms of cohabitation bring in themselves certain positive aspects, this does not imply that they can be presented as good.” He continued: “This means that in objective truth good and evil are not given gradually (gradualness of the law), while at the subjective level the law of graduality can take place. The human act, in fact, is good when it is good in every aspect.”

In the same document, Cardinal Erdő also addressed the issue of the Church’s attitude toward persons with homosexual tendencies. Following the Church’s teaching, the cardinal emphasized how important it is to avoid any sign of unjust discrimination and to receive “men and women with a homosexual tendency . . . with respect and sensitivity.” Erdő firmly reiterated the position of the Church: that “there are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family.”

Erdő understood the challenges facing persons with same-sex at- tractions. While he clearly affirmed the Church’s teaching that same-sex unions can in no way be accepted as “similar or remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family,” he also saw the need for special care for persons who experience same-sex attraction and encourages dioceses and parishes to set up pastoral programs to accompany same-sex-attracted persons and their families. However, he has to date made no public comment on Fiducia Supplicans, Pope Francis’ 2023 declaration allowing the blessing of same-sex couples.

Amoris Laetitia

Despite the controversy over Amoris Laetitia and it allowing divorced and “remarried” couples to receive the sacraments in some cases, Cardinal Erdő feted the document by launching an “Amoris Laetitia Family Year” in 2021 with the celebration of a special Mass celebrated ahead of Pope Francis’s visit to Hungary later that year, during which the Pope participated in the closing Mass of the 52nd Eucharistic Congress in Budapest.

Humanae Vitae and Life Issues

Cardinal Erdő is a staunch defender of the unitive and procreative ends of marriage, seeing “openness to life as an intrinsic requirement of conjugal love.” He warns of the dangers of an “individualistic vision of procreation” which manifests itself on both the social level (for example, the ongoing sharp fall in European birth rates) and the individual level. Erdő points to the documents of the Magisterium on this question, especially to the message of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae. He emphasizes the importance of making them known so that people can rediscover the Church’s teaching on married love, its rejection of artificial birth control, and its promotion of a culture of life.

Erdő is a staunch defender of the unconditional dignity of every hu- man life, from the moment of conception until natural death. He considers every human life to be “a blessing.” When Pope Francis in 2016 announced that every priest would be able to forgive the sin of having an abortion, a decision which was originally limited to the duration of the Year of Mercy, Cardinal Erdő welcomed the decision, considering it as a great “pastoral help” and an “expression of mercy.” At the same time, he reiterated the inerrant teaching of the Church and emphasized that the pope’s decision did not change the theological considerations about the grave sinfulness of abortion.

This view influences his opinion regarding the death penalty, which is unconstitutional in Hungary. In an interview, Erdő referred to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, according to which a state has the duty to protect its citizens. But he emphasized that nowadays “it is possible for the state to protect its citizens against the most serious crimes without having to apply the death penalty.” He furthermore added for consideration the many cases in which it was detected after the execution that the convicted was, in fact, innocent. He sees this as “such a great inhumanity, so great a sin and a mistake, that it must be avoided.” He continued that even in states that “might not be able to effectively provide imprisonment” and therefore might rely on the death penalty, “the use of the death penalty is also more likely to lead to inhumanity and injustice.”

Our Lady

Cardinal Erdő has a very strong devotion to Mary and has often publicly preached on the need to emulate her. From his childhood on, he has prayed the Rosary. He even describes how, during his time of military service, he would pray the Rosary during the long hours of the night watch, using only his fingers or other aids to count, since it was forbidden to carry rosaries.³⁵Moynihan and Somogyi, Guarding the Flame. His coat of arms shows the Virgin Mother sitting with Jesus Christ in her arms — a visual depiction of Mary’s title as “seat of wisdom.” In many homilies, he focuses on Mary’s motherhood. Mary is not only the mother of Jesus Christ but also our mother in faith. She plays a special role in the Hungarian church: tradition has it that King Stephen offered his crown to her, dedicating thereby the whole country to her. This is the foundation for honoring Mary as the patron saint of Hungary.

Pope Paul VI

Cardinal Péter Erdő has spoken highly of Pope St. Paul VI, believing it was Paul’s intention and mission to bring the Church closer to the world and people. He sees the former pontiff as the pope of the poor, who represented the cause of the poor.

The cardinal has also praised Paul VI for working for the “freedom of the Church” and values the role he played in concluding the Second Vatican Council. The cardinal believes Paul’s concept of Church leadership is still relevant and significant today, and appreciates his efforts in renewing the Church and dialogue with the modern world.

Reaction to Coronavirus

During the pandemic, Cardinal Erdő composed a prayer to be recited in every home; the prayer gave thanks to the Lord; expressed trust in Him; petitioned for an antidote; called on the Lord to strengthen faith, hope, and charity in the faithful; and asked Him to have mercy on His people. The prayer was well received in Hungary and went viral on social media.

THE HUNGARIAN TRANSFORMATION FROM COMMUNISM TO DEMOCRACY

Cardinal Erdő’s attitude toward ideologies has been shaped first by his exposure to communism while living under a totalitarian regime and then by his experience during Hungary’s transition from communism to liberal democracy. Both experiences have made Erdő very cautious about ideologies and have led him to emphasize in a particular way the need for refocusing society on its Christian roots and on Christian morals.

Erdő remembers that growing up under a regime that essentially tried to control people completely brought many hardships — especially for his family, which was, due to its adherence to the Catholic Faith, under suspicion of the state. Erdő’s parents were not able to enjoy the careers they wanted because they were “too Catholic,” and his father was downgraded at his workplace after Erdő was ordained to the priesthood.³⁶Ibid.

Cardinal Erdő witnessed the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and recalls how, when he entered the seminary, it was not surprising for him to learn that the communist regime had infiltrated the seminary with spies. For him, the communist ideology never seemed attractive. He witnessed the end of the Cold War and the peaceful revolution in his home country after he had returned from his work in Rome.

When Erdő became archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, and therefore primate of Hungary, he obtained an office formerly held by the heroic Cardinal József Mindszenty, a staunch opponent of communism who was several times imprisoned by the regime and had to live in exile in the American embassy for more than ten years after the failed revolution in 1956. Erdő considers being a successor to this fighter for freedom a “great honor.”³⁷Ibid.. Cardinal Erdő has played a significant role in urging Hungarian authorities to rehabilitate the heroic Hungarian cardinal.

Despite being such a strong opponent of communism, Cardinal Erdő acknowledges that, after the defeat of the communist regime at the end of the 1980s, developments in Hungary have been ambiguous and that the country has certainly “not arrived in paradise.”³⁸Ibid.

Interestingly, Erdő notes that the situation of the Catholic Church with regard to church attendance and vocations has not dramatically changed between the end of the 1980s and the early 2010s. He admits that “today we have almost the same pastoral result but with far greater commitment at the institutional level because we also have schools, we have many facilities, many expenses, but the bottom line remains the same.” The Hungarian church of today is in much greater competition in the context of the greater freedom that was won after the fall of communism.³⁹Ibid.

The years under the communist regime led to a “deformation of society and people’s mentality,” even though the Church was not frequently openly and directly persecuted (with exceptions, of course, including that the regime banned the teaching of religion in schools when Erdő was young).

This deformation led people to turn “too much toward individualism, concentrating all their attention on personal well-being,” and causing them to become accustomed “to short-term reasoning without thinking about the ‘greater future,’ having lost their great ideals.” Erdő constantly warns that if the country’s newly won freedom is understood only as “freedom from,” detached from any Christian foundation, this freedom will not lead to true happiness.

For Erdő, the solution can be only in a strong adherence to religion, because religion, and especially the Judeo-Christian religion, is not simply a collection of moral rules, but so much more than this. It allows a personal relationship with the Absolute, the Almighty, who appears as a Creator in the context of the universe, whose wisdom and word (logos) penetrate the whole world. This means that our relationship with reality does not require an arbitrary pursuit in a meaningless or unknowable medium, but it fits into the context of an ultimate wisdom and love.

Erdő emphasizes that in a time marked by rapid changes and ideological pluralism, “we cannot grow weary of proclaiming basic moral values,” and these objective moral values must be applied in all walks of life.

In August 2024, Cardinal Erdö repeated how important the faith was in his life when growing up during communism, recalling that it was something he learned from his parents.

Communism, he said, was a totalitarian system that “considered the Church as an enemy and which lasted until 1989: 50 years of communism in a country with deep Christian roots.”

• 1
  Ibid.
• 2
  Ibid.
• 3
  Ibid.
• 4
  Ibid.
• 5
  Ibid.
• 6
  Ibid.
• 7
  Ibid.
• 8
  Ibid.
• 9
  Ibid.
• 10
  Peter Erdő, Csak a Kegyelem (Budapest: Cairo Publisher, 2003), 77.
• 11
  Moynihan and Somogyi, Guarding the Flame.
• 12
  Erdő, Csak a Kegyelem, 22.
• 13
  He remembers that at the end of that synod, preparing for the procession to enter St. Peter’s Basilica, the president of the Hungarian conference of bishops asked him if he would be ordained a bishop, the choir was singing “Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo” (I will sing the mercies of the Lord forever). Moynihan and Somogyi, Guarding the Flame.
• 14
  For example, mission crosses.
• 15
  Moynihan and Somogyi, Guarding the Flame.
• 16
  Ibid.
• 17
  Erdő, Csak a Kegyelem, 55.
• 18
  Moynihan and Somogyi, Guarding the Flame.
• 19
  Ibid.
• 20
  Ibid.
• 21
  Erdő, Csak a Kegyelem, 94.
• 22
  Moynihan and Somogyi, Guarding the Flame.
• 23
  Edward Pentin, The Rigging of a Vatican Synod (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2015).
• 24
  Erdő, Csak a Kegyelem, 33.
• 25
  Moynihan and Somogyi, Guarding the Flame.
• 26
  Ibid.
• 27
  Ibid.
• 28
  Ibid.
• 29
  Ibid.
• 30
  Ibid.
• 31
  Ibid.
• 32
  Ibid.
• 33
  Erdő, Csak a Kegyelem, 101.
• 34
  Ibid., 83.
• 35
  Moynihan and Somogyi, Guarding the Flame.
• 36
  Ibid.
• 37
  Ibid.
• 38
  Ibid.
• 39
  Ibid.