Hungary: Peter Magyar consolidates all power, the European Union remains silent

Context

We had reported, with the fall of Orbán in June 2026, the ambivalence of a transition presented as democratic by those who had sanctioned the previous government in the name of the rule of law. Two months later, the concern is confirmed. Peter Magyar, who came to power through early elections, is pursuing a methodical consolidation. Le Salon Beige, in its edition of July 23, 2026, speaks of an integral consolidation of power "in the total indifference of the so-called democrats of the EU."

The Facts

The article documents three series of cumulative decisions. First, the takeover of the public media sector, now aligned with the line of the new power. Secondly, the dismissal of the President of the Republic and the Constitutional Court, two institutional safeguards whose neutralization changes the balance of power. Thirdly, the sending of the prosecutor's office to the data center hosting the servers of Fidesz, in order to seize the entire communication system and databases of Viktor Orbán's party. To date, no infringement procedure has been opened in Brussels against the Hungarian government, even though the European Commission had gone to Budapest on June 29, 2026 to welcome the first post-Orbán Pride.

Doctrinal Analysis

Social doctrine rejects the "suspension of rules" in the name of the end pursued. Centesimus Annus (John Paul II, 1991), in paragraph 46, warns that "a democracy without values easily turns into visible or masked totalitarianism." The magisterium does not endorse any regime, but recalls a constant: when a majority uses its powers to make its own decisions irreversible, when it seizes the political archives of its opponents and dismantles its institutional counterpowers, it removes itself from the democratic field. The principle applies to all of Europe, without political distinction.

Stakes for the Church and the Faithful

The Church of Hungary, chaired by Cardinal Erdő, has so far maintained a cautious silence. A public note from the Hungarian Bishops' Conference is announced for the start of the school year. The fate of Catholic family associations, framed but tolerated under Orbán, will depend on the new balance. Parishes of rural minorities, particularly in the Northeast, fear increased tax pressure.

Critical Reading and Blind Spots

The reverse reading deserves to be heard. Peter Magyar denounces an "authoritarian decade" of Orbán and displays the ambition to restore a weakened rule of law. It is conceivable that part of the current measures is part of a legitimate transition rather than a drift. The point is not to choose a political camp, but to note that Brussels does not measure the rule of law with the same yardstick, depending on whether the power in question is doctrinally favorable to it or not. This double standard, in itself, undermines European credibility. The seizure of the servers of an opposition party, in a country of the Union, should have triggered an immediate reaction from the Commission.

To Reflect and Act

Follow the position of the COMECE. Support Hungarian Catholic associations through the usual diocesan channels. Refuse the Manichaeism of the European agenda, which simplifies what should be discerned.