SZÉKELY JÁNOS (BUDAPEST)

Catholic priest, diocesan bishop of Szombathely, president of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference

He completed his theological studies in Budapest, Vienna, Bethlehem and Rome, and was ordained a priest in 1991. He was ordained a bishop in 2007, has been the archpastor of the Diocese of Szombathely since 2017, and has been the president of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference since September 2025. Since his ordination as a bishop, he has headed the conference's Gypsy pastoral committee.

In his priestly and episcopal ministry, he considers active solidarity with the poor, the Roma, refugees and other vulnerable people as a fundamental duty. He is convinced that the measure of a society's humanity is how it treats its weakest. He represents this not only in his public speeches, but also through personal visits, assistance and institutional initiatives.

He played a decisive role in developing the strategy of Catholic Roma pastoral care, encouraging the publication of biblical and liturgical publications and religious textbooks in the Lovari language. He regularly organizes and leads Roma pilgrimages, visits slums, and publicly speaks out against anti-Gypsyism and social exclusion. He also played a role in the ecumenical and Jewish-Christian commemorations of the victims of the Roma Holocaust and the 2008-2009 Roma murders. He was co-chair of the Christian-Jewish Council for many years.

In 2015, he welcomed refugees into his Budapest church, later providing accommodation, food and work opportunities for families and other immigrants in need. Since 2023, he has been supporting Ukrainian refugee children's holidays through the Gyenesdiás holiday resort of the Szombathely diocese. His activities were recognized with the Raoul Wallenberg Prize in 2019. With his work, he creates dialogue and practical cooperation between Roma and non-Roma, Jewish and Christian, and host and refugee communities.