Rita Perintfalvi

Short Biography

MMag. Dr. Rita Perintfalvi is a Catholic theologian, Old Testament scholar (PhD, University of Vienna), religious education teacher, cultural manager, and social manager with a specialization in psychosocial prevention. She is also a publicist and blogger. In her home country, Hungary, she is regarded as a public opinion leader not only on church-related issues, but also on broader social matters, particularly women’s and human rights.

From January 2019 to December 2023 she was a postdoctoral research assistant at the Institute of Old Testament Biblical Studies, Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Graz, within the faculty’s research focus on gender studies. Between 2019 and 2022 she worked under Univ.-Prof. Dr. theol. Dr. phil. h. c. Irmtraud Fischer, and from October 2022 to 2023 under Univ.-Prof. Dr. Katharina Pyschny. From March 2022 to September 2023 she also served as spokesperson for the faculty’s research focus on women’s and gender studies in theology.

Research areas: right-wing populism and religious/Christian fundamentalism, anti-gender discourse, sexual abuse in the church.

Her interdisciplinary research project, “(Re)learning to be Human: Anti-Gender Attacks in the Context of Religious Fundamentalism and Right-Wing Populism”, integrates theology with insights from gender studies, political science, sociology, political philosophy, and feminist ethics.

Her habilitation project, “Power – Freedom – Liberation: Sexuality and Politics in the Hungarian Catholic Church”, is situated within pastoral theology. It examines the specific political and socio-cultural context of Hungary and its fundamental implications for the Catholic Church’s capacity for theological discourse and action in the face of challenges such as abuse and right-wing populism. The project positions itself as a contribution to a contextual post-Vatican II political theology. Her habilitation supervisor is Prof. Dr. Rainer Bucher.

Key Projects in Recent Years

Between 2019 and 2020 Rita Perintfalvi was the Graz partner of the Elisabeth-List Fellowship Project “Resistance Required? Struggles over Identity and Gender in the Context of Right-Wing Populism and Christian Fundamentalism in Europe Today.” The international, interdisciplinary research team included PD Dr. Sonja Strube (University of Osnabrück) as Incoming Senior Fellow, and Junior Fellows Raphaela Hemet, MA (University of Graz), Cicek Sahbaz Wemmer, MA (University of Vienna), and Miriam Metze, MA (University of Vienna). Project funding: EUR 144,000.

More information: Project website

Since 2019 Rita Perintfalvi has been working voluntarily with survivors of sexual abuse in the Hungarian Catholic Church, actively involved in uncovering cases. To date, she has met personally with 60 survivors and documented their stories. In 2021, she published ten of these accounts in her book “There Is No Forgiveness – Sexual Offenders in the Church” (Budapest). This was the very first book in Hungary in which survivors of abuse by Catholic priests told their stories publicly. The book had groundbreaking impact, sparking enormous public debate and has since gone into its fourth edition, becoming a national bestseller.

Further information on her work with survivors (in German):
feinschwarz.net – Missbrauch in der katholischen Kirche Ungarn

Awards

  • 2023: Hungarian Equal Opportunities Award, Magyar Tolerancia Egyesület (Hungarian Association for Tolerance)

  • 8 March 2021: Award for Public Engagement for inspiring women in public life and for her socially valuable and charitable work. Presented by the national leadership of the women’s section of the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP).

Academic Positions

  • Current: Based in Budapest, she is a habilitation candidate (without status) at the Institute of Pastoral Theology, Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Graz. She also leads the grassroots community “Circles of Freedom”, which she co-founded in 2022 with colleagues. The group defines itself as a political resistance movement with the aim of restoring democratic order in Hungary. Through her public activities as a theologian, she has become one of the most prominent critics of Viktor Orbán’s government.

  • Jan 2019 – Dec 2023: Postdoctoral Assistant, Institute of Old Testament Biblical Studies, Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Graz, within the theological women’s and gender studies research focus.

  • Feb 2017 – Jan 2019: Research Fellow, Institute of Systematic Theology and Ethics, Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Vienna; independent work on habilitation project.

  • Jun 2017 – May 2018: Director of the interreligious coalition-building project “Together for Our Future: Religions for a More Open and Inclusive Society”, funded by the National Democratic Institute as part of its programme against religious discrimination and xenophobia. Coordinated the work of four partner organizations: the Ecumenical Association of Hungarian Women Theologians (Hungarian section of ESWTR), the Progressive Jewish Community Sim Shalom, the Muslim Community of Hungary (MME), and the Evangelical Fellowship of Hungary (MET).

  • Oct 2016 – Jan 2017: Preparation of habilitation project; publications, lectures, extensive media and public engagement in Hungary.

  • Sep 2014 – Sep 2016: Academic and teaching staff, Austrian Catholic Bible Society; also lecturer at the Institute of Practical Theology, University of Vienna. Taught the seminar “Introduction to Theological Women’s, Men’s, and Gender Studies” (summer term 2015).

  • 2010 – 2014: University Assistant, Institute of Biblical Studies, Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Vienna.

Functions and Memberships

  • Mar 2022 – Sep 2023: Spokesperson for the Theological Women’s and Gender Studies research focus, Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Graz.

  • 2022: Co-founder of the grassroots community “Circles of Freedom” in Budapest.

  • Since 2022: Member of the academic network of the DFG research group “Hidden Patterns – Vulnerability, Violence, and Resilience in Abuse and Cover-Up of Women in the Catholic Church”, led by Prof. Dr. Ute Leimgruber and Prof. Dr. Hildegund Keul.

  • Since 2023: Member of the Working Group on Pastoral Theology.

  • Since 2021: Member of the Scientific Advisory Board, Coordination Office for Gender Studies and Equal Opportunities, University of Graz.

  • Since 2019: Member of the interdisciplinary research network “Heterogeneity and Cohesion” (HUK), University of Graz.

  • Since 2019: Member of the HUK Gender Cluster.

  • Since 2017: President of the Hungarian Section of the European Society of Women in Theological Research (ESWTR).

  • 2009 – 2015: Member of the International Board of ESWTR.

  • Since 2005: Member of ESWTR.

Education

  • 2019 – ongoing: Habilitation, Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Graz.

  • Feb 2017 – Jan 2019: Research Fellow, Institute of Systematic Theology and Ethics, Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Vienna; work on habilitation project.

  • 2010 – 2014: Doctoral studies in Catholic Theology (Old Testament), Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Vienna; simultaneously University Assistant, Institute of Biblical Studies.

    • 21 July 2014: Defence of dissertation and final doctoral examination (Old Testament major, New Testament minor).

    • Degree: Doctor of Theology (Dr. theol.)

    • Distinction: with honours

    • Dissertation: “The Te Deum of the Old Testament: Psalm 103 in Synchronous Intertextual Analysis”

    • Supervisor: Univ.-Prof. DDr. Georg Braulik

  • 2002 – 2004: Diploma in Catholic Theology, Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Vienna.

    • Degree: Magistra Theologiae (Mag. theol.)

    • Distinction: with honours

  • 1999 – 2002: Diploma in Catholic Theology, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, affiliated institute in Szeged.

    • 2001: Scholarship of the Republic of Hungary for academic excellence.

    • Degree: Magister in Catholic Theology.

    • Distinction: summa cum laude.

    • Award: Diploma thesis awarded Best Thesis Prize by the Faculty of Catholic Theology, Szeged (2002).

  • 1994 – 1998: Diploma studies, Archiepiscopal Theological College of Győr, Faculty of Religious Education.

    • Distinction: very good.

  • 1992 – 1996: Diploma studies, Berzsenyi Dániel Pedagogical College, Szombathely, in Cultural and Social Management with specialization in Psychosocial Prevention.

    • Distinction: very good.

  • 1991: High school diploma (Abitur), Szombathely.

Languages

German, English, Hungarian, Biblical Hebrew, Ancient Greek, Latin, Russian.

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