Ján Chryzostom Korec
Encyclopedia
Ján Chryzostom Korec is a Slovakia
n Jesuit Cardinal
and Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Nitra.
In his youth Ján Korec was an active Boy Scout.
Korec entered the Society of Jesus
in 1939 and studied Catholic theology
and philosophy
. During the order's suppression under the Communists, he was forced to stop his philosophical studies. He entered the priesthood in 1950. One year later, at the age of 27, he was secretly consecrated a bishop by Bishop Pavol Hnilica
. In the following nine years, Korec worked in a factory.
He was imprisoned from 1960 to 1968. While he was in prison, Korec cared for the spiritual welfare of his fellow prisoners. After many petitions, he was released during a general amnesty
in 1968. Despite his bad health, after his release Korec continued to work as a street cleaner and as a factory worker. In 1974, his amnesty was revoked, and he was re-imprisoned for four years. Korec was released in 1978, because of his ill health. He was then unemployed, but found work as a warehouse clerk in a chemical factory. After the fall of the iron curtain
, Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Nitra
in 1990.
In the consistory
of 1991, Korec was made a Cardinal-Priest with the parish of Santi Fabiano e Venanzio a Villa Fiorelli
in the College of Cardinals
.
Korec did not take part in the papal conclave
of 2005, which chose Benedict XVI, because he was over 80—the age at which cardinals become ineligible to vote. He was present, however, at the College of Cardinals
, which negotiated the beginning of the conclave, and at the transfer of the late Pope John Paul II's body into St. Peter's.
's memorial board on the secondary grammar school in Tiso's birthplace, Bánovce nad Bebravou, shocking many by that move.
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
n Jesuit Cardinal
Jesuit Cardinal
Jesuit priests at the time of their solemn and final profession in the Society of Jesus promise: I will never strive or ambition, not even indirectly, to be chosen or promoted to any prelacy or dignity in or outside the Society; and I will do my best never to consent to my election unless I am...
and Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Nitra.
In his youth Ján Korec was an active Boy Scout.
Korec entered the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
in 1939 and studied Catholic theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
. During the order's suppression under the Communists, he was forced to stop his philosophical studies. He entered the priesthood in 1950. One year later, at the age of 27, he was secretly consecrated a bishop by Bishop Pavol Hnilica
Pavol Hnilica
Pavol Hnilica was a Slovak Roman-Catholic bishop and Jesuit.He was a clandestine priest and bishop . He consecrated Ján Chryzostom Korec. In 1952 he fled from Slovakia and studied and worked mainly in Rome...
. In the following nine years, Korec worked in a factory.
He was imprisoned from 1960 to 1968. While he was in prison, Korec cared for the spiritual welfare of his fellow prisoners. After many petitions, he was released during a general amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
in 1968. Despite his bad health, after his release Korec continued to work as a street cleaner and as a factory worker. In 1974, his amnesty was revoked, and he was re-imprisoned for four years. Korec was released in 1978, because of his ill health. He was then unemployed, but found work as a warehouse clerk in a chemical factory. After the fall of the iron curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
, Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Nitra
Nitra
Nitra is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. With a population of about 83,572, it is the fifth largest city in Slovakia. Nitra is also one of the oldest cities in Slovakia and the country's earliest political and cultural center...
in 1990.
In the consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
of 1991, Korec was made a Cardinal-Priest with the parish of Santi Fabiano e Venanzio a Villa Fiorelli
Santi Fabiano e Venanzio a Villa Fiorelli
Santi Fabiano e Venanzio a Villa Fiorelli , church on Via Terni, Rome. The parish was set up by Pope Pius XI, and the church opened for worship as the regional church of the Camerino region in 1936...
in the College of Cardinals
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...
.
Korec did not take part in the papal conclave
Papal conclave
A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...
of 2005, which chose Benedict XVI, because he was over 80—the age at which cardinals become ineligible to vote. He was present, however, at the College of Cardinals
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...
, which negotiated the beginning of the conclave, and at the transfer of the late Pope John Paul II's body into St. Peter's.
Controversy
In summer 1990, Bishop (now Cardinal) Ján Chryzostom Korec unveiled Jozef TisoJozef Tiso
Jozef Tiso was a Slovak Roman Catholic priest, politician of the Slovak People's Party, and Nazi collaborator. Between 1939 and 1945, Tiso was the head of the Slovak State, a satellite state of Nazi Germany...
's memorial board on the secondary grammar school in Tiso's birthplace, Bánovce nad Bebravou, shocking many by that move.