The Official Visit to Hungary of the Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fra’ John Dunlap, accompanied by the Grand Chancellor, Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, and the Grand Hospitaller, Fra’ Alessandro de Franciscis, is now underway. The visit marks an important moment in the development of long-standing solid relations and cooperation on a humanitarian level.

The Grand Master was welcomed yesterday with military honours by the President of Hungary, Tamás Sulyok, at the Sándor Palace. During the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their willingness to further strengthen ties and cooperation on projects in the humanitarian sphere. “I am grateful to the Hungarian authorities for the generous support which has been given to a large number of social and humanitarian projects carried out by the Order of Malta’s Hungarian Relief Corps since 1989, both in Hungary and abroad” declared the Grand Master.

During the official visit, the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding on aid for persecuted Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities was renewed.

Fra’ John Dunlap was then received by the Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary, Zsolt Semjén.

The event also provides an opportunity to appreciate some of the projects managed by the Order of Malta’s entities in Hungary, with which the Order has had diplomatic relations since 1990. Since 1996 three Grand Masters and as many Hungarian Presidents have made official visits.

The Order of Malta’s Humanitarian Activities in Hungary

In recent years, the Order of Malta has reinforced its presence in Hungary, not only through the work of its Relief Corps (MMSZ), but also through the joint action of the National Association and the Embassy. The Order of Malta’s National Association in Hungary has put various programmes into action to support families and young people with disabilities. Among these is the ‘TeDeum’ youth group, which promotes regular activities with disabled young people.

The Order of Malta’s Relief Service is now the largest social institution in Hungary, with hundreds of units at 142 locations. It runs an extensive network of social and health services, including homes for the elderly, centres for the homeless, integration programmes for the disabled and addiction treatment facilities. A flagship initiative is the Roma population integration programme, which was launched in 2004. Recognised as one of the best in Europe, this project aims to develop the poorest communities with targeted interventions including educational, health and employment services.

Another innovative project, which was started in 2023, is the telemedicine system which covers remote villages with mobile clinics and real-time connections to specialised doctors. This system, funded by the European Union, makes it possible to offer advanced health care even in the most disadvantaged areas.

The Blessed Gerard Psychiatric Hospital, run by the Order of Malta in Hungary since 2022, is one of the largest psychiatric centres in the country with 462 beds. It provides a full range of treatment for psychiatric disorders, specialising in addiction, psychiatric rehabilitation and advanced dementia care.

The Ukrainian Refugee Crisis

Since the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis in 2022, the Order of Malta’s Relief Service has provided assistance to more than 50,000 refugees, offering temporary accommodation, transport, financial support and medical assistance. More than 500 Ukrainian families have been integrated into a comprehensive one-year programme, demonstrating the Order’s ongoing commitment to managing humanitarian emergencies. The Order of Malta’s Relief Service is also active internationally, particularly in the Middle East and Africa, through its cooperation with the ‘Hungary Helps’ programme, which focuses on assisting persecuted Christian communities.