Pope accepts resignation of Archbishop Balázs Bábel, appoints Ferenc Palánki as new Archbishop of Kalocsa-Kecskemét

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Balázs Bábel from his pastoral leadership of the Archdiocese of Kalocsa-Kecskemét in Hungary and appointed Ferenc Palánki as the new metropolitan archbishop.

Ferenc Palánki previously served as the bishop of the Diocese of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza. Born in Balassagyarmat in 1964, Palánki was ordained a priest in 1994. His previous roles include serving as a parish priest in Dorogháza and Püspökszilágy, a spiritual director at the Vác Seminary and the Central Seminary of Budapest, and a defender of the bond in a diocesan tribunal. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Eger in 2010 and later became the bishop of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza in 2015.