The General Convent or synod of the Reformed Church in Hungary has elected the Bishop of Budapest, the Rt. Rev. István Szabó as its presiding bishop

The General Convent or synod of the Reformed Church in Hungary, the Magyarországi Református Egyház, has elected the Bishop of Budapest, the Rt. Rev. István Szabó as its presiding bishop following the retirement of the Bishop of Debrecen, the Rt. Rev. Gusztáv Bölcske. Bishop Szabó (59) was elected last week by delegates from the church’s four dioceses gathered at a special meeting of synod and received 55 out of 100 votes cast. Presiding Bishops of the Reformed Church serve a six year term and are eligible for re-election to two further terms. A self-described Calvinist “conservative revolutionary”, Bishop Szabó has urged the Protestant church in Hungary to remain independent of the state and avoid having its ministers become “badly paid and unwanted state employees”.