Prime Minister Péter Magyar has called on the Catholic Church to publicly distance itself from priest Zoltán Osztie after he strongly criticised Tisza voters during a Mass and called the party morally corrupt.
Priest attacks Tisza voters during Mass
Catholic priest Zoltán Osztie has come under fire after making strongly political remarks about Tisza Party voters during a Mass in Feldebrő on 26 September. In the sermon at St Martin’s Church, Osztie questioned how Christians could vote for Tisza, describing the party as a “morally deeply corrupt” group that would destroy the country.
He also said that people who identified as Christians but voted for Tisza “understood nothing” of the Gospel. He criticised what he described as support for “lies, immorality and hatred”, and referred to the political group as “unbelieving, immoral and treasonous”.
Osztie also said he was proud that there were no Tisza voters around him and said he wanted that to remain the case.
According to Telex, the priest has previously made political statements. In July, he spoke at a demonstration near the Sándor Palace without authorisation from the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest. At that event, he discussed, among other topics, the influence of global powers and BlackRock, as well as Pride and what he described as communist and fascist terror.
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Magyar demands public response and apology
Magyar shared an excerpt of the more than 13-minute sermon on Facebook on Thursday and called on the Catholic Church to immediately and publicly distance itself from Osztie’s remarks.
The prime minister said Osztie had previously made what he considered inappropriate political statements, but argued that the latest comments were particularly problematic because they were delivered as part of a sermon inside a church.
Magyar said criticism itself was not the issue, but argued that neither believers nor non-believers should have to listen to a Catholic priest speak about them in such terms during a Mass. He said he understood that the Catholic Church did not share Osztie’s views, but nevertheless expected the Church to make its position public. He also said he expected Osztie to apologise.
Magyar added that he valued the social, educational, cultural and religious work carried out by churches in Hungary. He called on people not to respond with anti-Church comments, stressing that his criticism was directed at the priest’s remarks rather than at the Church as a whole.
Osztie has previously drawn criticism over political activity
Osztie has attracted attention for his political involvement before. In July, he spoke at a demonstration organised near the Sándor Palace in support of then-President Tamás Sulyok and against a constitutional amendment proposal by Tisza. The speech was not made with the authorisation of the Esztergom-Budapest Archdiocese.
Osztie has also regularly celebrated Masses attended by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, including a Mass held for Orbán’s birthday in May. Magyar’s latest intervention comes shortly after his visit to the Vatican, where he met Pope Leo XIV in September.
One of the reasons I think that Hungary is in better shape than my country (the corporate-raped disUnited States of America) is because a much higher degree of the Catholic Clergy are still actually that – Catholic Clergy, instead of Leftist Loons in the guise of men of God). I doubt that this situation please Pope Leo, and, thus, I am waiting to see what he does to change this.
As to Father Zoltán’s comments on Tisza: I think he is spot on. The problem is that Orbán Viktor’s economic policies were so weak we came to this, and, for the time being, there is no escaping this. That said, I think Magyar Péter is doing some things that have long been necessary. It is just unfortunate that the so-called God-fearing Right, Fidesz, did not do these things.
So, here we are.
Only an idiot or a fool believes that a nation revolves around one single point of view. Leftist Loons? What are MAGA but a bunch of mindless right wing tossers who have put their faith in a Master Con Artist? Try a bit of balance in your pov.
In “Obedience” to his Cardinal – Peter Erdo, his being of support and friendship of Victor Mihaly. Orban was Fater Zoltans “words” a prepared sermon signed off and approved by the Hungarian, soon to retire – for the betterment of the Holy Roman Catholic Church of Hungary – Peter Erdo ???
Has Magyar ever heard of free speech or is he now trying to stop all opinions that don’t lavish praise on him and his party , what a pathetic little man he his
I say the complete reverse. The pathetic man is the priest who would call the majority of Hungarians “treasonous” and “immoral” for supporting Tisza. His words had absolutely nothing to do with religion and were completely inflammatory and degrading. A priest or anyone can criticize the government but to use that kind of language to describe Hungarians is itself immoral and brings the church itself into disrepute.
Denk je dat je vrijheid van meningsuiting had bij orban
Denk nog maar eens goed na
Dat was straks nog slechter of bij poetin
English Translation – Do you think you had freedom of speech under Orbán?
Think again. It was even worse—or like it is under Putin.
That priest would fit well in Kirill’s Russian Orthodox church. It’s well known that Fidesz pressured the Catholic and Reform churches to support the party and your obedience to the party was expected if you wanted to be on the approved list of churches where parishioners could get a tax exemption on donations. When Orban’s pastor who did his marriage ceremony and baptised his children publicly criticized him Orban persecuted his church and forced him to close a school the church ran for disabled children. That’s what “family friendly” Fidesz was doing. They actually caused harm to disabled children.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20241112-hungary-s-most-vulnerable-fall-victim-to-orban-feud-with-his-ex-pastor
In September 2026, the Budapest Metropolitan Court officially restored the MET’s registered church status, which the Orbán government had stripped away over a decade prior in an effort to defund his humanitarian operations. However, the trial of Orban’s manufactured charges of “violence” against public officials continues against Ivani. He was in crowd of people including opposition MPs and media when tax authorities raided his homeless shelter in 2022 and there was some pushing. The whole thing is preposterous. Prosecutors are now seeking a two year suspended prison sentence. I think they will eventually throw the case out of court.
Actually, Dear Larry, ‘this priest’ would not only fit well in Arch-Patriarch Kirill’s ‘court’, but, as well, anywhere that Christianity, as it always was – until a few years ago, holds sway.
ALAIS DES NATIONS•1211GENEVA10,SWITZERLAND Mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context; the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Ref.: AL HUN 1/2026 (Please use this reference in your reply) Excellency, 8 April 2026 We have the honour to address you in our capacities as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context; Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights and Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 52/4, 52/9, 59/4, 52/10, 53/10 and 58/5. In this connection, we would like to bring to the attention of your Excellency’s Government information we have received concerning criminal charges and administrative harassment against Gábor Iványi and the Oltalom Charity Association, as well as the Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship (Magyar Evangelikus Testvérközösség- MET). Mr. Gábor Iványi is a Hungarian pastor and human rights defender who leads the Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship (MET) and the Oltalom Charity Association. He is known for defending the rights of people experiencing poverty, homelessness, and social exclusion. Oltalom Charity Association is a CSO providing health care, social support and child welfare related care to homeless persons, refugees and victims of natural disasters. The Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship (MET), part of the Methodist Church, which Mr. Iványi heads, provides shelter, food, and education. It runs shelters, schools, and social programs that serve thousands of people across the country, offering vital support to families, children, including children with disabilities, and individuals experiencing poverty and social exclusion. According to the information received: Criminal charges On 3 November 2025, Hungarian prosecutors brought criminal charges against Mr. Iványi and several opposition politicians, accusing them of “groupcommitted violence against an official person.” The charges relate to a February 2022 tax authority raid on the Oltalom Charity’s headquarters; an operation in which Mr. Iványi and others allegedly physically pushed officials whenattempting to enter the building with supporters and journalists. Mr. Iványi denies wrongdoing and says the officials pushed him first. The raid on the association’s offices was carried out by the National Tax Authority (NAV), in connection with the arrears in unpaid taxes. The MET alleges that they were not able to pay taxes as they had not received the government funding that was due for their educational and social activities. When the tax authority set out to carry out the inspection, Mr. Iványi refused to receive the inspection order and stated that he would only enter the premises with the tax inspectors if representatives of the media were also let in. As this wasrefused, several opposition MPs and other political, cultural and civic actors arrived to show support for Mr. Iványi who eventually managed to enter the association’s premises. On 9 February 2026, preliminary hearings were held at the first instance court in Budapest. The prosecutors accused Mr. Iványi and six other individuals (mostly MPs and MEPs) of having attempted, through the use of violent force, to prevent the entry of the inspectors from the National Tax Authority into the headquarters of the Oltalom Egyesület in Dankó street in Budapest. All of the accused pleaded not guilty. They argued that they did not push the inspectors but were rather pushed by the demonstrators towards the administrative office. Mr. Iványi stressed that his hands were behind his back, that he did not push anyone and that he also appealed to the demonstrators to remain peaceful. Lawyers for the accused additionally argued that the raid on the offices was illegal, that no warrant was shown by the inspectors and no legal basis for the raid and search were provided. If convicted, Mr. Iványi could face several years in prison. His supporters claim that the charges are politically motivated and tied to the 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election cycle. The timing and nature of the charges have been criticized both inside and outside Hungary as part of a broader pattern of state pressure on dissenting voices. Pattern of targeting Government pressure on Mr. Iványi and the MET appear to reflect a wider campaign targeting civil society and human rights defenders, especially those serving vulnerable groups. The Hungarian government has repeatedly sought to undermine MET’s social services, which include homeless shelters, schools for low-income families and children with disabilities, and community support programs. In 2024, authorities revoked operating licenses for three of MET’s schools, forcing their closure, a directly affecting educational access for disadvantaged children. MET’s status as an officially recognized church was revoked in 2011, cutting off state funding. This was later declared unlawful by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)1, yet the government has not fully complied with the court’s orders to restore status and provide owed funding.–––––––––––––––––––––––––1 Magyarországi Evangéliumi Testvérközösség v. Hungary, Application no. 54977/12 2Financial pressure has also included tax penalties and seizures of assets by the National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV), exacerbating the charity’s debts and undermining its ability to pay staff or maintain services. The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the law invoked to strip MET’s church status violates the European Convention on Human Rights. In April 2017, the European Court of Human Rights awarded 3M Euros in damages, as a compensation to MET for lost subsidies, but the church’s legal status and funding mechanisms remain uncertain. While we do not wish to prejudge the accuracy of these allegations, we wish to express our concern at the criminal charges and legal pressure against Mr. Gàbor Ivanyi, as well as against MET and the Oltalom Charity Association, which appears to be connected with their human rights work. We are particularly concerned that these latest developments appear to form part of a broader pattern of repression against Mr. Ivànyi and his religious and civic organizations. In connection with the above alleged facts and concerns, please refer to the Annex on Reference to international human rights law attached to this letter which cites international human rights instruments and standards relevant to these allegations. As it is our responsibility, under the mandates provided to us by the Human Rights Council, to seek to clarify all cases brought to our attention, we would be grateful for your observations on the following matters: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Please provide any additional information and/or comment(s) you may have on the above-mentioned allegations. Please provide information about the factual and legal basis for the criminal charges against Mr. Ivanyi and how these are in compliance with Hungary’s obligations under international human rights law. Please provide information about the status of implementation of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights. Please explain measures put in place to ensure that human rights defenders and members of civil society are able to carry out their legitimate human rights work without fear of threats, attacks, judicial harassment of any kind, in an enabling environment. Please provide information on measures put in place to safeguard the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and of association, as stipulated by articles 19, 21 and 22 ICCPR, including those aimed at ensuring that civil society organizations can freely seek and receive funding, carry out their activities without undue interference, and that individuals and organizations can participate in peaceful protests and express their views, including those critical of the authorities, without having to fear criminal prosecution. 3This communication, and any response received from your Excellency’s Government, will be made public via the communications reporting website at the 60 days mark. Should Your Excellency’s Government respond within 60 days, both the communication and the response, may be published before the 60 days mark. The communications and responses will also be made available in the subsequent periodic report to be presented to the Human Rights Council. While awaiting a reply, we urge that all necessary interim measures be taken to halt the alleged violations of Mr. Ivanyi’s rights to freedom of opinion, expression, and religious belief. We further recommend that these allegations be promptly clarified and promptly and independently investigated in order to prevent their recurrence and, should the allegations be substantiated, to ensure the accountability of any person(s) responsible. We also recommend that your Excellency’s Government review any decision that may have led to charges against Mr. Ivanyi in contravention of Hungary’s obligations under international human rights law. Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of our highest consideration. Mary Lawlor Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Irene Khan Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Gina Romero Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association Balakrishnan Rajagopal Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context Olivier De Schutter Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Nazila Ghanea Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief