Gábor Iványi

The native form of this personal name is Iványi Gábor. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Gábor Iványi
Iványi Gábor
Born (1951-10-03) 3 October 1951
Szolnok, Hungarian People's Republic
CitizenshipHungary
EducationWesley János Lelkészképző Főiskola
OccupationPastor
OrganizationHungarian Evangelical Fellowship
PartnerMagdolna Sinka
Children6

Gábor Iványi (born 3 October 1951) is a Hungarian pastor. The leader of the Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship, a Methodist congregation, he has become known for his advocacy of the poor in Hungary, as well as his criticisms of the country's Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán.

Biography

Iványi was born in 1951 in Szolnok in what was then the Hungarian People's Republic.[1] His cousin, Imre Papp, was a member of the rock band Gemini.[2]

After training as a Methodist pastor, during the 1970s he became the leader of the Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship (Hungarian: Magyarországi Evangéliumi Testvérközösség, MET). Under his leadership, the MET became known for its social activism and outreach work, including the establishment of schools, care homes and homeless shelters across Hungary. The MET had a membership of around 20,000 as of 2024.[3][4]

Iványi has been described as a former supporter and ally of Viktor Orbán, a prominent member of the national-conservative Fidesz political party; Iványi baptised two of Orbán's children, and presided over his vow renewal with his wife, Anikó.[4][5] Iványi's activism, particularly in support of minority groups, including refugees and LGBTQ people, became increasingly at odds with Orbán's self-described "illiberal Christian democratic" ideology, which has led to Iványi being described as "one of Orbán's fiercest critics".[6] In 2019, in response to an Orbán speech in which he stated he was "defending Christian freedom", Iványi was among a group of Christian dissidents who signed the Advent Declaration, which, among other issues, explicitly stated its support for refugees and LGBTQ people.[4]

In 2011, the Orbán government stripped the MET's status as an officially recognised church in Hungary; in total, the number of officially recognised religious groups in Hungary was reduced from 358 to 14. As a result, the MET lost the funding that it previously received from the government. Iványi launched an application to the European Court of Human Rights, which in 2013 ruled Orbán's actions as illegal, ordering that the MET be reinstated as an official religious group and that it receive the funding that it should have received between 2011 and the ruling. As of 2025, the government had not reinstated the funding.[4][7]

In February 2022, the Hungarian tax authority raided the offices of Oltalom Karitatív Egyesület, the MET's sister charitable organisation, due to allegations of social security fraud; Oltalom ran the MET's outreach services. During the raid, Iványi arranged for the media and local politicians, including Zita Gurmai, Anna Donáth, Bernadett Szél and Károly Herényi to be present as he attempted to enter the building and prevent the raid; this was ultimately unsuccessful.[4][8][9] As a result of subsequent financial pressures, the MET was forced to close its homeless shelters; in 2024, Hungarian authorities removed the operating licences for three schools for children from low-income households, leading to them being shut down by Oltalom.[4][10][11]

On 3 November 2025, Iványi, alongside Gurmai, Donáth, Szél and Herényi, were charged with "group-committed violence against an official person" in relation to the 2022 raid of the MET's offices, where it was alleged that they had pushed officers preventing their entry to the building. Iványi disputed this, stating that the officers had pushed him and his group, and suggested the timing of the charges were linked to the forthcoming 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election.[12][13][14][15] The prosecutor subsequently recommended that Iványi receive a two-year suspended prison sentence.[16]

Recognition

Human Rights Watch has criticised the Hungarian government's harassment of Iványi and the MET, including its obstruction of the MET's humanitarian work and activities.[17] It called on the government to end its harassment.[3]

The New York Times described Iványi as having "near mythical status" in Hungary.[18] Iványi was featured in the BBC World Service documentary The Pastor and the Prime Minister, aired in 2020, focusing on his relationship with Orbán.[19]

In 2022, it was suggested that Iványi was being considered as a potential candidate for United for Hungary in the presidential election; however, his nomination was vetoed by Jobbik, and ultimately Péter Róna was selected.[20]

References

  1. ^ Farkas, György (5 November 2025). "Iványi Gábor miatt ment Orbánnak a szívószálpápa". 24.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  2. ^ "Elhunyt Papp Imre Mityó (Gemini)". Rocknemzedék (in Hungarian). 17 March 2021. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  3. ^ a b Ward, Benjamin (6 November 2025). "Hungary: Pastor Supporting People in Poverty Faces Charges". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original on 7 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Roscoe Loustau, Marc (December 2024). "The most dangerous preacher in Hungary". The Christian Century. Archived from the original on 22 May 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  5. ^ Farkas, György (12 September 2016). "Orbánban csalódott, de az unokáját megkeresztelte volna". 24.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  6. ^ Barry, Orla (2 November 2022). "This pastor officiated Orbán's wedding. Now he's one of his fiercest critics". The World. Archived from the original on 19 August 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  7. ^ "CASE OF MAGYARORSZÁGI EVANGÉLIUMI TESTVÉRKÖZÖSSÉG v. HUNGARY". European Court of Human Rights. 25 July 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  8. ^ "Tax Authority Raids Offices of Oltalom Evangelical Charity". Hungary Today. 22 February 2022. Archived from the original on 11 September 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  9. ^ Barnóczki, Brigitta (18 October 2025). "Iványi Gáborék újra kezdeményezik a bejegyzett egyházi státuszt". Telex.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 8 November 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  10. ^ Kolozsi, Ádám (23 September 2025). "Be akarja záratni Iványiék hajléktalanellátóját a kormányhivatal, 300 ember kerülhet az utcára még a tél előtt". 444 (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 30 September 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  11. ^ "Hungary: Events of 2024". Human Rights Watch. 2025. Archived from the original on 22 September 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  12. ^ Herczeg, Márk (3 November 2025). "Iványi Gábor: Számítottam arra, hogy vádat fognak majd emelni még a választások előtt, ha ezt kívánja az érdekük". 444 (in Hungarian). Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  13. ^ Csurgó, Dénes (21 February 2022). "Az ablakon próbáltak bemászni az újságírók az Oltalom központjába". 444 (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 18 February 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  14. ^ Kolontár, Krisztián (3 November 2025). "Iványi Gábor: Ez egy öngól volt a hatalom részéről. Ha bezárnak, akkor a börtönből folytatom tovább a börtönpasztorációt". 24.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 8 November 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  15. ^ ""Örökre a lekötelezettetek vagyok, büszke rátok, és készen bármire értetek" - üzeni Iványi Gábor". HVG (in Hungarian). 5 November 2025. Archived from the original on 5 November 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  16. ^ "Két év felfüggesztett börtönt kértek Iványi Gáborra, az ellenzéki politikusokra egy és két év közötti felfüggesztett büntetést". szeretlekmagyarország.hu (in Hungarian). 6 November 2025. Archived from the original on 8 November 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  17. ^ "Wrong Direction on RIghts: Assessing the Impact of Hungary's New Constitution and Laws". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original on 6 October 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  18. ^ Kingsley, Patrick (15 March 2019). "He Used to Call Viktor Orban an Ally. Now He Calls Him a Symbol of Fascism". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 July 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  19. ^ "The pastor and the prime minister". BBC World Service. 12 July 2020. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  20. ^ "Iványi: "Fontos lehetne az a 15 perc, amelyben köztársasági elnök-jelöltként a teljes Országgyűlés előtt beszélhetnék"". HVG (in Hungarian). 11 February 2022. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
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