The Hungarian cardinal is one of the top candidates to succeed Francis (Picture: ABACA/REX/Shutterstock)
A hardline stance against LGBTQ+ marriage within the Catholic Church. A gatekeeper of ‘traditional family values’.
And a supporter of Viktor Orban’s autocratic leadership in Hungary that is also aligned with Vladimir Putin.
Yes, this is cardinal Péter Erdő – one of the top candidate to succeed Pope Francis.
His name is gaining quiet but persistent traction amid the power struggle that will soon engulf the Vatican.
Erdő is regarded as one of the smartest, most strategic candidates on the list.
As an expert in Church law, he has been on a fast track his entire career – becoming a bishop in his 40s and a cardinal in 2003 when he was just 51, making him the youngest member of the College of Cardinals until 2010.
Erdo attends a Mass before entering conclave on March 12, 2013 at the Vatican when he was again a potential candidate (Picture: ABACA/REX/Shutterstock)
He is from Hungary – so a European, making him part of the Vatican’s ‘inner circle’.
The Cardinal was also once a papal contender in the last conclave in 2013 due to his extensive church contacts in Africa and Europe.
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And he is aged only 72. Considering that Francis died at the age of 88, Erdő could have at least a decade as a leader of the Catholic Church if the rest of the Conclave gets behind him.
He speaks Italian, German, French and Spanish, as well as Russian. This could help him thaw relations between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches after the deep chill of the war in Ukraine.
Erdő could have at least a decade as a leader of the Catholic Church (Picture: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
Hungarian Observer hailed him as ‘the pope’s ideal successor’ even before Francis’ death – but is this accurate?
Regardless of his achievements, an Erdő papacy would be a signal that the Vatican is heading in an entirely different direction from what Francis has left behind.
Where the late pontiff bent the Church – LGBTQ+ acceptance, refugees and a stance against the wars in Ukraine and Gaza – the Hungarian candidate is a purist and may tighten back the rules.
Erdő raised eyebrows in the Vatican during the 2015 migrant crisis when he went against Francis’ call for churches to take in refugees, saying that this would amount to human trafficking.
His stance appeared to align with Orban’s persisting anti-immigration policies.
In an age of polarisation, the conclave may see him as a stabilising choice, one that would not cause a lot of noise and restructure Catholicism.
British bookmaker William Hill has the Hungarian further down the list, as 10/1. But to dismiss him would be premature.
Erdő is trailing behind better-known names like Vatican secretary of state Pietro Parolin (9/4) and the globally beloved Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (3/1), who could become the first Asian pope.
Heavyweights like Ghana’s Peter Turkson and Italy’s Matteo Zuppi both sit at 6/1.
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