Rome, 21 February 2026 – The Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Fra’ John Dunlap, received the President of the Republic of Hungary, Tamás Sulyok, today at the Magistral Palace.

This is the fifth visit by a Hungarian President to the Order of Malta and the fourth bilateral meeting between President Sulyok and the Grand Master in less than two years, confirming the solidity of relations between the two parties.

Diplomatic relations between the Order of Malta and Hungary were restored on 13 June 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The profound political changes that then took place in Hungary and other countries of the former Soviet bloc, were followed by the signing of a postal agreement and a cooperation agreement and extensive and fruitful collaboration in the humanitarian field. Among the most recent high-level meetings was the visit of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in October 2025.

During today’s meeting, which took place in an atmosphere of lively cordiality, issues of common international interest were addressed and the shared focus on the most serious humanitarian crises of our time was reaffirmed. The Grand Master expressed gratitude to President Sulyok and the First Lady for their continued support of the Order’s activities in Hungary, recalling in particular their participation in the opening of the national summer camp for young people with disabilities organized by the Order’s Relief Corps on Lake Balaton.

Great satisfaction was also expressed for the fruitful cooperation enshrined in the Memorandum of Understanding for assistance to persecuted Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities, signed in 2019 and renewed in September 2024 in Budapest, on the occasion of the Grand Master’s official visit.

Order of Malta’s humanitarian activities in Hungary

The Order of Malta is present in Hungary through the National Association (founded in 1928) and through the Order of Malta Relief Corps in Hungary (Magyar Máltai Szeretetszolgálat – MMSZ), founded in 1989 by Father Imre Kozma.

With approximately 15,000 volunteers and thousands of staff active in 142 locations, the Relief Corps today represents the largest social institution in the country. Every day, it assists some 13,000 people through a widespread network of nursing homes, homeless centres, facilities for people with disabilities, addiction treatment programmes, psychiatric services and numerous educational initiatives.

Among the most notable facilities is the “Blessed Gerard” Psychiatric Hospital in Pomáz, one of Hungary’s leading centres for psychiatric care and rehabilitation, with 462 beds and specialized services for the treatment of addictions and dementia.

Particularly innovative are the Roma population integration programme, launched in 2004 and recognized as one of the most effective territorial development models in Europe, and the telemedicine system launched in 2023. This latter is a network of mobile clinics connected in real time with specialist doctors, which brings healthcare to the most remote and disadvantaged villages.

Since the conflict in Ukraine began in 2022, the Relief Corps has also assisted over 52,000 Ukrainian refugees, providing shelter, medical care, transportation, and long-term integration programmes.

Close cooperation with the Hungarian authorities and with the Government “Hungary Helps” programme further strengthens the Order’s action also at the international level, particularly in the Middle East and Africa, in support of persecuted Christian communities and other vulnerable minorities.