Kazimierz Nycz
Encyclopedia
Kazimierz Nycz is a Polish
prelate
, a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
. He is the current Cardinal Archbishop of Warsaw, having previously served as Bishop
of Koszalin
-Kołobrzeg from 2004 to 2007. Pope Benedict XVI
elevated Archbishop Nycz to the status of Cardinal in the consistory of 20 November 2010.
. Nycz was educated at the primary school in Stara Wieś; Lyceum of Maria Skłodowska-Curie, Czechowice-Dziedzice where he graduated in 1967; he then entered the Major Seminary of Kraków. He received the diaconate
from Karol Cardinal Wojtyla
on 8 May 1972, and was ordained
to the priesthood
on 20 May 1973 by Bishop Julian Groblicki.
In 1976, he obtained a bachelor degree at the Faculty of Theology of Papieska Akademia Teologiczna (Pontifical Academy of Theology), of Kraków; then, in 1977, he started his doctoral studies at the Catholic University of Lublin, where in 1981, he earned a doctorate in catechetical studies (dissertation: "Implementation of catechetical renewal of the Second Vatican Council in the Archdiocese of Kraków".
From 1973 to 1975 he was a vicar
in a parish of Saint Elisabeth
in Jaworzno
. On 14 May 1988, Nycz was appointed Auxiliary Bishop
of Kraków and Titular Bishop
of Villa Regis. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following 4 June from Franciszek Cardinal Macharski, with Archbishops Jerzy Ablewicz and Stanisław Nowak serving as co-consecrators
.
On 26 November 1999, he was named chairman of the Committee for Catholic Education; his main interest was to seek ways to find the opportunities offered by schools for catechetical activities and to search for forms of parish catechesis. As chairman of the Commission for Education of the Conference of the Polish Episcopate, the center of his activities was adapting the Polish catechesis to the post-Vatican II catechetical documents of the Church, especially the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the General Directory for Catechesis; and to correlate the teaching of religion in the school with the requirements of the reformed schools
He was promoted to Bishop of Koszalin
-Kołobrzeg on 9 June 2004. On 3 March 2007, Pope Benedict XVI
named Nycz, who was on a pilgrimage
to the Holy Land
at the time, as the successor of Stanisław Wielgus as Metropolitan Archbishop of Warsaw. Wielgus abruptly resigned on 7 January after admitting to his former collaboration with the Służba Bezpieczeństwa, the Communist secret police in Poland. Nycz's appointment was greatly welcomed, and his installation as Archbishop of Warsaw took place during Palm Sunday
on 1 April 2007, at St. John's Cathedral
. In addition to his role as Archbishop, he was named Bishop
to the Eastern Catholics in Poland on 9 June 2007.
He holds a doctorate
from the University of Lublin
, was vice-rector
of the Major Seminary
of Kraków from 1987 to 1988, and organized the last visit of Pope John Paul II
to Poland. Records of Służba Bezpieczeństwa show that Nycz had repeatedly refused to enter their services. He was created and proclaimed Cardinal-Priest of Ss. Silvestro e Martino ai Monti
on 20 November 2010.
On 29 December 2010 Nycz was appointed a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
and the Congregation for the Clergy
.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
, a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He is the current Cardinal Archbishop of Warsaw, having previously served as Bishop
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
of Koszalin
Koszalin
Koszalin ; is the largest city of Middle Pomerania in north-western Poland. It is located 12 km south of the Baltic Sea coast. Koszalin is also a county-status city and capital of Koszalin County of West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999...
-Kołobrzeg from 2004 to 2007. Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
elevated Archbishop Nycz to the status of Cardinal in the consistory of 20 November 2010.
Biography
Kazimierz Nycz was born in Stara WieśStara Wies (Silesian Voivodeship)
Stara Wieś is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wilamowice, within Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately west of Wilamowice, north of Bielsko-Biała, and south of the regional capital Katowice. The village has a population of...
. Nycz was educated at the primary school in Stara Wieś; Lyceum of Maria Skłodowska-Curie, Czechowice-Dziedzice where he graduated in 1967; he then entered the Major Seminary of Kraków. He received the diaconate
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
from Karol Cardinal Wojtyla
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
on 8 May 1972, and was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
on 20 May 1973 by Bishop Julian Groblicki.
In 1976, he obtained a bachelor degree at the Faculty of Theology of Papieska Akademia Teologiczna (Pontifical Academy of Theology), of Kraków; then, in 1977, he started his doctoral studies at the Catholic University of Lublin, where in 1981, he earned a doctorate in catechetical studies (dissertation: "Implementation of catechetical renewal of the Second Vatican Council in the Archdiocese of Kraków".
From 1973 to 1975 he was a vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
in a parish of Saint Elisabeth
Elisabeth of Hungary
Elizabeth of Hungary, T.O.S.F., was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Countess of Thuringia, Germany and a greatly-venerated Catholic saint. Elizabeth was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20. She then became one of the first members of the newly-founded Third Order of St. Francis,...
in Jaworzno
Jaworzno
Jaworzno is a city in southern Poland, near Katowice. The east district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Przemsza river ....
. On 14 May 1988, Nycz was appointed Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Kraków and Titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Villa Regis. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on the following 4 June from Franciszek Cardinal Macharski, with Archbishops Jerzy Ablewicz and Stanisław Nowak serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
.
On 26 November 1999, he was named chairman of the Committee for Catholic Education; his main interest was to seek ways to find the opportunities offered by schools for catechetical activities and to search for forms of parish catechesis. As chairman of the Commission for Education of the Conference of the Polish Episcopate, the center of his activities was adapting the Polish catechesis to the post-Vatican II catechetical documents of the Church, especially the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the General Directory for Catechesis; and to correlate the teaching of religion in the school with the requirements of the reformed schools
He was promoted to Bishop of Koszalin
Koszalin
Koszalin ; is the largest city of Middle Pomerania in north-western Poland. It is located 12 km south of the Baltic Sea coast. Koszalin is also a county-status city and capital of Koszalin County of West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999...
-Kołobrzeg on 9 June 2004. On 3 March 2007, Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
named Nycz, who was on a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
at the time, as the successor of Stanisław Wielgus as Metropolitan Archbishop of Warsaw. Wielgus abruptly resigned on 7 January after admitting to his former collaboration with the Służba Bezpieczeństwa, the Communist secret police in Poland. Nycz's appointment was greatly welcomed, and his installation as Archbishop of Warsaw took place during Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. ....
on 1 April 2007, at St. John's Cathedral
St. John's Cathedral, Warsaw
St. John's Archcathedral in Warsaw is a Catholic church in Warsaw's Old Town, is the only one archcathedral in Warszawa, the other 3 are cathedrals in the Polish capital. St. John's stands immediately adjacent to Warsaw's Jesuit church, and is one of the oldest churches in the city and the main...
. In addition to his role as Archbishop, he was named Bishop
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
to the Eastern Catholics in Poland on 9 June 2007.
He holds a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
from the University of Lublin
John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin
John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin is located in Lublin, Poland. Presently it has an enrollment of over 19,000 students...
, was vice-rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the Major Seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
of Kraków from 1987 to 1988, and organized the last visit of Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
to Poland. Records of Służba Bezpieczeństwa show that Nycz had repeatedly refused to enter their services. He was created and proclaimed Cardinal-Priest of Ss. Silvestro e Martino ai Monti
San Martino ai Monti
San Martino ai Monti, also known as Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti - Titolo Equizio, is a basilica church in Rome, Italy, in the Rione Monti neighbourhood.-History:...
on 20 November 2010.
On 29 December 2010 Nycz was appointed a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is the congregation of the Roman Curia that handles most affairs relating to liturgical practices of the Latin Catholic Church as distinct from the Eastern Catholic Churches and also some technical matters relating to the...
and the Congregation for the Clergy
Congregation for the Clergy
The Sacred Congregation for the Clergy is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons not belonging to religious orders...
.