| His Eminence Péter Erdő |
|
|---|---|
| Cardinal-Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest | |
Cardinal Erdő at the St. Adalbert's Basilica, Esztergom |
|
| Province | Esztergom-Budapest |
| See | Esztergom-Budapest |
| Enthroned | 11 January 2003 (9 years, 42 days) |
| Reign ended | incumbent |
| Predecessor | László Paskai, O.F.M. |
| Other posts | Auxiliary Bishop of Székesfehérvár (1999-2002) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 18 June 1975 |
| Consecration | 5 Nov 1999 |
| Created Cardinal | 21 October 2003 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 June 1952 |
| Styles of Péter Erdő |
|
|---|---|
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Esztergom-Budapest |
Péter Erdő (born 25 June 1952) is a Hungarian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as the Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, and thus Primate of Hungary. He is the President of the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe, and is currently[update] the second youngest member of the College of Cardinals.
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Erdő was born in Budapest, 25 June, 1952,[1] the first of the six children of Sándor and Mária (née Kiss) Erdő. He studied at the seminaries of Esztergom and Budapest, and the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome (where he attained a doctorate in both theology and canon law). On June 18, 1975, Erdő was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop László Lékai, and was incardinated in the Archdiocese of Esztergom.[1] He worked as vicar in Dorog, and then continued his studies in Rome from 1977 to 1980. For the next eight years, he taught as a professor of theology and canon law at the Seminary of Esztergom, and held guest lectures at several foreign universities. Erdő served in the Hungarian Episcopal Conference as Secretary of the Commission of Canon Law in 1986, and later as its President in 1999. In 1988 he began teaching theology at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University, serving as rector from 1998 to 2003. From 2005 he is the Great Chancellor of the university.
On 5 November 1999, he was appointed an auxiliary bishop of Székesfehérvár and titular bishop of Puppi.[1] He received his episcopal consecration on 6 January 2000, from Pope John Paul II himself, with Archbishops Giovanni Battista Re and Marcello Zago, OMI, acting as co-consecrators. Erdő was named Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest on December 7, 2002, and as such, he received the title of Primate of Hungary.[1] Cardinal Erdő became a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2007.[2]. In 2011 he was appointed as "doctor honoris causa" by the University of Navarra (Spain).
He was created Cardinal-Priest of Santa Balbina by John Paul II in the consistory of 21 October 2003. He was the youngest cardinal member of the Sacred College until the creation of Reinhard Marx in 2010.
Erdő was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI, and can continue to exercise his right to vote in any future conclave until his 80th birthday on June 25, 2032.[3]
The Cardinal was elected President of the Hungarian Episcopal Conference in September 2005 for a five-year term, and President of the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe in October 2006 for the same period of time. On 17 January 2009 he was appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture by Pope Benedict,[4] and on 29 January 2011 of the Secretariat of State (Second Section).[5]
Cardinal Erdő sponsored the Thirteenth International Congress of Medieval Canon Law, in Esztergom, August 3–9, 2008. On 19 October 2011, the apostolic nunciature in Perú announced that he will be apostolic visitor to intervene in the dispute between the Pontifical Catholic University of Perú and the archdiocese of Lima.
In 2006, he sent a letter of gratitude to President George W. Bush on the 50th anniversary of Cardinal Mindszenty's forced arrest because of the political support that Americans had granted to Mindszenty at the time.[6]
Cardinal Erdő has written about the special socio-economic conditions of the Roma people and has openly wondered on the correct way to evangelize them.[7]
Cardinal Péter Erdő has focused on Hungary's need to restore its faith and hope, while celebrating midnight mass at St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest, to mark the Christmas holiday.[8]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by László Paskai |
Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest 7 December 2002–present |
Succeeded by incumbent |