Stanislaw Wielgus
Encyclopedia
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...
on 6 December 2006, he assumed the office in a private installation ceremony on 5 January 2007, only to resign two days later, less than an hour before his public installation ceremony, because of a scandal connected with his cooperation with the Służba Bezpieczeństwa – the Polish communist secret police.
Biography
Stanisław Wielgus was born in Wierzchowiska, in today's Lublin RegionLublin Voivodeship
- Administrative division :Lublin Voivodeship is divided into 24 counties : 4 city counties and 20 land counties. These are further divided into 213 gminas....
. At the age of 23, he was ordained a priest
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 10 June 1962 by Bishop Piotr Kalwa. An expert in Polish
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...
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...
and medieval 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...
, he spent thirty years teaching in the faculty of philosophy of the Catholic University of Lublin, serving three terms as rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
. He taught at the University of Munich, from 1973 to 1975 and again in 1978, where Professor Joseph Ratzinger
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...
, the future Pope Benedict XVI, was teaching as an associate. From 1990 to 1993 he was the vice chairman of the Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities. He served as a member and consultant on the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education
Congregation for Catholic Education
The Congregation for Catholic Education is the Pontifical congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for: seminaries and houses of formation of...
, and a member of the Humanities section of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
European Academy of Sciences and Arts
The European Academy of Sciences and Arts was created in 1990 in Salzburg, Austria by heart surgeon Felix Unger of Salzburg; the cardinal archbishop of Vienna, Franz König; and the political scientist and philosopher Nikolaus Lobkowicz....
.
Father Wielgus was appointed Bishop of Płock on 24 May 1999 by 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 ...
, and was episcopally ordained by Cardinal Józef Glemp on 1 August of that year. He was Bishop of Płock from 1 August 1999 until 2006, when he was named Archbishop of Warsaw by 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...
on 6 December 2006.
As Bishop of Płock, Stanisław Wielgus was one of the most famous people in the history of this city. On 29 December 2006 he was given the special title of Honorary Resident of Płock. During his last religious ceremony in Płock the congregation exclaimed Thank you.
Archbishop Wielgus took the "oath of fidelity" to the Holy See on 5 January 2007, and in the same evening, he took canonical
Canonical
Canonical is an adjective derived from canon. Canon comes from the greek word κανών kanon, "rule" or "measuring stick" , and is used in various meanings....
possession of the archdiocese in a private ceremony in which his bull of appointment was formally read before the chapter of Canons of the Cathedral of Warsaw. From that point, according to Canon Law, he was already Archbishop of Warsaw. His public installation was scheduled for 7 January 2007. However, he resigned from the position the very day of the scheduled installation as the result of a scandal connected to his cooperation with the Polish Communist Secret Police.
Information about cooperation with the Communist Security Service
On 20 December 2006, journalists found documents from the communist archives according to which Archbishop Wielgus collaborated—or at least conversed—with the communist secret police during communist rule in PolandPoland
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...
. This development was considered to be particularly significant in the context of post-communist Polish politics, because public figures, particularly politicians, can be officially censured and barred from holding public office if found to have collaborated
Collaborationism
Collaborationism is cooperation with enemy forces against one's country. Legally, it may be considered as a form of treason. Collaborationism may be associated with criminal deeds in the service of the occupying power, which may include complicity with the occupying power in murder, persecutions,...
with the Security Services (Polish: Służba Bezpieczeństwa) of the People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
(Polish: PRL, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa). The process of review of the Security Service's files, known in Poland as Lustration
Lustration
Lustration is the government process regulating the participation of former communists, especially informants of the communist secret police, in the successor political appointee positions or in civil service positions in the period after the fall of the various European Communist states in 1989 –...
(Pol: Lustracja) has been the source of many political scandals in recent years. The Polish human rights ombudsman
Polish Ombudsman
The Polish Ombudsman is an independent central office of the Republic of Poland. The office was first established on January 1, 1988. Its functioning is regulated by the Constitution and an act of Polish parliament from July 15, 1987...
, Janusz Kochanowski
Janusz Kochanowski
Janusz Bogumił Kochanowski was a Polish lawyer, diplomat, and the Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection of the Republic of Poland .-Life and career:...
, said on 4 January 2007 that there was evidence in the secret police archives that Archbishop Wielgus knowingly cooperated with the authorities of the Communist era.
Archbishop Wielgus acknowledged that he signed a cooperation statement in 1978, but insisted that he did so only under coercion and disputed the length and characterization of his contact as described in the published reports. He made a public statement on 4 January 2007 indicating that he only provided information concerning his own academic work, and that the reports seriously distorted the truth. However, according to the Polish national newspaper, Rzeczpospolita, Wielgus had a more extensive role than he admitted, and alleged that he provided information about student activities as far back as 1967, when he was a 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...
student at the Catholic 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...
. Archbishop Wielgus only acknowledged a relationship beginning in 1978. Wielgus asked the Polish Bishops' Conference to examine the files pertaining to him.
The day after the discovery of the incriminating documents on 20 December 2006, Catholic News Service announced that the Vatican Press Office had issued a statement of support regarding Wielgus: "The Holy See, in deciding the nomination of the new archbishop of Warsaw, took into consideration all the circumstances of his life, including those regarding his past .... (Pope Benedict XVI) has every confidence in Monsignor Stanisław Wielgus and in full conscience entrusted him the mission of pastor of the Archdiocese of Warsaw."
Resignation
Wielgus took formal canonical possession of the See of Warsaw as Archbishop in a private ceremony on 5 January 2007, and was due to be publically installed on 7 January 2007 at a Solemn Mass in St. John's CathedralSt. 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 Warsaw. However, less than an hour before the ceremony, he resigned. Some reports indicate that his resignation followed consultations within the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
and with the Polish government involving Pope Benedict and Polish president Lech Kaczyński
Lech Kaczynski
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...
. Giovanni Battista Re, Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops
Congregation for Bishops
The Congregation for Bishops is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the selection of new bishops that are not in mission territories or those areas that come under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches who deal with the Eastern Catholics, pending papal...
, explained to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera
Corriere della Sera
The Corriere della Sera is an Italian daily newspaper, published in Milan.It is among the oldest and most reputable Italian newspapers. Its main rivals are Rome's La Repubblica and Turin's La Stampa.- History :...
that Pope Benedict himself decided on the dismissal of the Archbishop, adding that "...when Monsignor Wielgus was nominated, we did not know anything about his collaboration with the secret services," The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi stated that "The behaviour of (Archbishop) Wielgus during the years of the communist regime in Poland seriously compromised his authority, even with the faithful."
Prior to the disclosure of his involvement with the Communist-era secret police, Wielgus, like most archbishops of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, had been widely expected to be appointed a Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
after the death of his predecessor.
Aftermath
Archbishop Wielgus was one of the successors to the legendary Cardinal Archbishop of Warsaw, Stefan Wyszyński, who was jailed by the Communist government for years during the 1950s. He was also designated to serve in the city whose clergy were symbolised by Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, who was murdered by the same communist secret police with whom Wielgus collaborated; thus the revelations concerning Wielgus were particularly shocking in Polish religious and political contexts.A day after the Wielgus resignation, Father Janusz Bielanski
Janusz Bielanski
Rev. Janusz Bielanski is a Roman Catholic priest and the former rector of the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland . He resigned on January 8, 2007 after repeated allegations about his cooperation with the Służba Bezpieczeństwa—the communist-era secret police...
resigned as rector of Wawel Cathedral
Wawel Cathedral
The Wawel Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Stanisław and Vaclav, is a church located on Wawel Hill in Kraków–Poland's national sanctuary. It has a 1,000-year history and was the traditional coronation site of Polish monarchs. It is the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Kraków...
in Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. According to a local church spokesman, Bielanski's resignation was "in connection with repeated allegations about his cooperation with the secret services" of the Communist era. He added that Krakow's archbishop, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, accepted the resignation.
Wielgus as Archbishop Emeritus
Wielgus intended to continue teaching Polish philosophy and medieval philosophy, at the faculty of philosophy of the Catholic University of Lublin.In early 2007 his relevant awareness that several priests in his former diocese of Płock were sexually abusing minors came to light.
In February 2007 it emerged that Archbishop Wielgus was preparing a court case to at least partially clear his name and was to be defended by "Marek Małecki, the same lawyer who was recently successful in getting a clearing verdict for Małgorzata Niezabitowska, press aide for Poland’s first government after 1989 round table compromise agreement with the communists. The verdict for Niezabitowska said that while she had been a registered spy for the communists, there is no evidence to prove that she was fully aware of the fact. Now the vetting court will examine the case of Archbishop Wielgus, whose guilt was pronounced as beyond doubt by two independent historical committees".
On 12 February 2007 Stanisław Wielgus received a letter from Pope Benedict XVI, in which the Pope wrote:
I hope you will be working again for the Church in Poland.
External links
- Arcybiskup Wielgus złożył dymisję – DziennikDziennik Polska-Europa-SwiatDziennik Polska-Europa-Świat was a Polish nationwide daily newspaper published by Axel Springer Polska, a division of Germany's Axel Springer Verlag publishing company. It was modelled on Springer's Welt Kompakt, the Berliner-style edition of the Hamburg-published broadsheet Die Welt...
- Profile: Stanislaw Wielgus – BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...