Cardinal Erdő makes first public appearance since being hospitalized with stroke

ESZTERGOM, Hungary (LifeSiteNews) — Cardinal Péter Erdő, the archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and primate of Hungary, known as one of the “conservative” members of the College of Cardinals, made his first public appearance this past weekend in over three months after suffering from poor health and recently being hospitalized with a stroke.

Erdő, 73, attended but did not celebrate the solemn Mass at the Cathedral of the Assumption and St. Adalbert in Esztergom for Pentecost Sunday, during which 81 young people received the sacrament of Confirmation, marking his first public appearance since his hospitalization, the archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest reported. The prelate also recorded a video message marking the feast day and expressed special thanks to the faithful for their prayers.

“In the packed Esztergom basilica, it was a particularly moving moment when, at the beginning of the festive liturgy, parish priest Csaba Török welcomed Cardinal Péter Erdő,” the archdiocese wrote. “The faithful welcomed the archbishop with applause.”

READ: Cardinal Erdő in serious condition after suffering stroke: report

Erdő has been in poor health for over three months and last celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the Esztergom basilica on February 2, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. A source close to Erdő told Vatican journalist Diane Montagna earlier this month that His Eminence was “recovering, but very slowly,” adding: “He has a lot of faith.”

The Hungarian prelate was considered a leading contender in the run-up to last year’s papal conclave and was reportedly considered the “favorite” among the conservative cardinals. Erdő has a strong conservative reputation due to his affirmation of Catholic teaching against homosexual “marriage” and Communion for the divorced and civilly “remarried,” his defense of priestly celibacy as well as his emphasis on the importance of the Holy Eucharist, evangelization, and his strong Marian devotion.

Critics of Erdő have pointed to the prelate’s role as the relator general at the 2014–2015 Extraordinary Synod on the Family, which published under Erdő’s name a Relatio Pre Disceptionem that was incompatible with the profession of the Catholic faith. This text laid the foundation for the sacrilegious reception of Holy Communion by public adulterers (established in Amoris Laetitia in 2016) and the “blessing” of homosexual unions (established in Fiducia Supplicans in 2023).

READ: Cardinal Erdö says Leo XIV’s use of mozzetta not a sign of ‘traditionalism’

However, Erdő distanced himself from the controversial passages at a press conference the following day, pointing to Archbishop Bruno Forte, the special secretary of the synod, as the true author. His defenders, therefore, argue that in allowing the text to be published in his name, and by reading it out though it were his own, Erdő was guilty of timidity, but not heterodoxy.

LifeSiteNews encourages readers to continue praying for Cardinal Erdő’s recovery.