Scientology in Hungary operates legally but without official recognition as a religion. An "ideal org" (large church) currently operates in Budapest. A Narconon facility in Garáb, opened with much fanfare in 2013, has since closed.[1][2]
A Hungarian translation of Dianetics was first published in 1990, and Scientology was first registered as a church in 1991. However, in 1993, the Hungarian Parliament classified several religions, including the Church of Scientology of Hungary, as destructive sects (Hungarian: destruktív szekta) and withdrew state support; though this category was later abolished, Hungary's national security agency, NBH, officially classified the Church of Scientology as a "religious movement that poses a danger to society" in 2006.[3] A 2011 law, Act C, further restricted state support for religion, stripping many groups, including Scientology, of tax exemption. Speaker of Parliament László Kövér specifically initiated last-minute modifications to the church law at a Fidesz leadership meeting purportedly to ensure Scientology could never obtain recognized status.[4]
Connections to Fidesz and Viktor Orbán
editBeck Zsolt, a major Scientology donor, has attracted scrutiny due to his connections to Fidesz, the political party of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, resulting in several lucrative deals, including a 11,000,000 Ft contract with Hungary's State Audit Office, and multi-million forint deals with companies controlled by Lőrinc Mészáros, a close Orbán ally and Hungary's richest person.[5][6]
References
edit- ↑ "Narconon Garab ribbon cutting". Flickr. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ↑ "Narconon Új Élet Szálló". Narconon Garab (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 19 July 2014.
- ↑ Vallási feszültségek Magyarországonː Ki áll az őrület határán? (hetek.hu, 1999. május 29., archiválva: 2019. augusztus 9.)
- ↑ Schalger, Erika (16 July 2019). "Minority Faiths Under the Hungarian Religion Law". Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe.
- ↑ Csikász, Brigitta (22 February 2019). "A volt ÁSZ-dolgozóknak a szcientológiai egyházhoz kötődő cég segített elhelyezkedni" [Former State Audit Office employees helped by a company affiliated with the Church of Scientology to find jobs]. Atlaszo (in Hungarian). Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ↑ Poszgai, Rebeka (22 June 2019). "Szcientológus vállalkozások vezetői is felbukkannak a NER közelében" [Scientology is popping up in the NER] (in Hungarian). Retrieved 17 February 2026.