The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, met the Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Fra’ John T. Dunlap in the Carmelite Monastery of Buda. The meeting underlined their shared desire to strengthen collaboration on humanitarian initiatives.

The Grand Master then met privately with the President of Hungary, Tamás Sulyok. The visit follows the official one in September, during which the Grand Master was received by President Tamás Sulyok at the Sándor Palace. On that occasion, the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 was renewed, a fundamental agreement for the support of persecuted Christians and other religious minorities, emphasizing the solid cooperation between the Order and Hungary.

 Order of Malta in Hungary

Active in Hungary since 1990, the Order of Malta runs the largest social service in the country, with 142 operating units providing health and social care. Among the most significant projects are the Roma integration programme, launched in 2004, and the recent EU-funded telemedicine system for reaching remote villages in the most disadvantaged areas.

Since 2022, the Order has also assisted over 50,000 Ukrainian refugees with healthcare and integration programmes. The collaboration with the “Hungary Helps” programme further underpins the Order’s role in serving persecuted Christian communities worldwide.