BUDAPEST — Gábor Iványi, a former pastor who played a significant role in Viktor Orbán’s life by officiating his wedding and baptizing his children in the 1990s, finds himself in a starkly different position today. As Orbán seeks to extend his 16-year tenure as Hungary’s Prime Minister in the upcoming election on April 12, he portrays himself as the guardian of traditional Christian values. However, Iványi, now 74 and a Methodist pastor, has expressed deep skepticism regarding Orbán’s fusion of Christianity and nationalism, stating that it “has nothing to do with the Bible, with the essence of the Bible.”
Political rift and legal troubles
Despite their shared history in anti-Communist movements during their earlier years, Iványi and Orbán are now politically divided. Iványi faces trial next month concerning his church’s activities, amid accusations that his legal troubles are politically motivated. Critics, including organizations like Human Rights Watch, claim that the charges against him are tactics employed by Orbán’s government to suppress dissent.
Iványi, who manages services for homeless individuals, hospitals, and educational institutions for the impoverished, is facing a potential two-year suspended prison term for allegedly participating in a violent confrontation with authorities during a raid on his church, the Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship, in 2022. This raid followed allegations of financial misconduct against the church, which Iványi and his supporters have characterized as an absurdity and a form of political persecution.
“The prosecution of Iványi and interference with his church’s work is part of a wider pattern of the Hungarian government targeting human rights defenders,” noted Human Rights Watch.
A historical perspective
The longstanding relationship between Iványi and Orbán took a downward turn following Orbán’s shift to conservative policies. Iványi recalls a time when he and Orbán were united in their efforts to create a more liberal Hungary, a stark contrast to Orbán’s current administration which has adopted increasingly right-wing stances.
Notably, during Orbán’s second term that began in 2010, a pivotal moment occurred when Orbán requested Iványi’s public endorsement, which the pastor refused, leading to a significant rift between them. Iványi’s refusal to pose for a photograph with Orbán—coupled with a denial of promised financial support—marked the beginning of a series of challenges faced by the Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship, including the revocation of its official church status in 2011.
Reflecting on their past, Iványi expressed disbelief at the drastic ideological transformation of his former friend, stating, “Nobody had thought that he would turn that much from those values to the far right, or even to fascist ideas.” He lamented the loss of the values they once shared, contrasting Orbán’s present-day alliances, including those with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the ideals they championed in their youth.
As Hungary approaches a crucial election, the tensions between traditional Christian values and the political landscape continue to evolve, with Iványi standing as a testament to the ongoing struggle for liberal values in a changing Hungary.