László Paskai was born to Jewish parents who were converted to the Catholic faith before the arrival of their son and who later died during the Holocaust. He was ordained a priest at the age of 23 on 3 March 1951, joining the Order of Friars Minor. On 2 March 1978 he was chosen to become Apostolic Administrator of Veszprém, becoming a bishop that same day, with the titular see of Bavagaliana. Since his retirement he has been living in Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező, not far from the St Adalbert basilica.