About Péter Erdő
Péter Erdő (born 25 June 1952) is a Hungarian cardinal of the Catholic Church who has served as the Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and Primate of Hungary since 2003. He was president of the Council of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe from 2006 to 2016. He was the relator general for the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome. Erdő was seen as a leading candidate in the 2025 papal conclave. He gained significant support and was the favored choice of conservative Catholic networks in the United States and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and has enjoyed good relations with the Orthodox churches and the Russian government. He was reportedly the leading choice among the top three contenders on the first ballot, all of whom won between 20 and 30 votes, but his support faded away in subsequent rounds behind Cardinal Pietro Parolin and the eventual winner, Cardinal Robert Prevost, who would be elected Pope Leo XIV on the fourth ballot. In 2011, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Navarra (Spain). He was created Cardinal-Priest of Santa Balbina by John Paul II in the consistory of 21 October 2003. Erdő became a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2007 and a full member in 2013.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.