Marek Jędraszewski (born 24 July 1949) is a Polish Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Kraków since 2016.[1] He served as Archbishop of Łódź from 2012 to 2017. He has also been vice president of the Polish Episcopal Conference since 2014.[2]
Marek Jędraszewski | |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan Archbishop of Kraków | |
.jpg) | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Kraków |
| Metropolis | Kraków |
| See | Kraków |
| Appointed | 8 December 2016 |
| Installed | 28 January 2017 |
| Predecessor | Stanisław Dziwisz |
| Other post(s) | Vice-President of the Polish Episcopal Conference (2014–) |
| Previous post(s) |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 24 May 1973 by Antoni Baraniak |
| Consecration | 29 June 1997 by Juliusz Paetz |
| Rank | Archbishop |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Marek Jędraszewski 24 July 1949 |
| Alma mater | |
| Motto | Scire Christum ("To know Christ") |
| Coat of arms | .svg) |
Jędraszewski's selection for the Kraków Archdiocese was perceived as a surprise in some quarters.[3]
Life
editMarek Jędraszewski was born in Poznań, earned his high school diploma in 1967 and then pursued ecclesial studies until 1973. In mid-1973, he received his ordination to the priesthood from Bishop Antoni Baraniak. Jędraszewski then studied philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University, where he earned a doctorate.[1][2] In 1974 he earned a bachelor's degree in theological studies in Poznań, and from 1973 to 1975 served as a parochial vicar at Saint Martin's parish in Odalnów. He received his bachelor's degree philosophy 1977. On 20 December 1979, he defended his doctoral dissertation and Pope John Paul II awarded it a gold medal.[2]
From 1980 until 1996, he served in Poznań as an assistant professor and as the prefect of seminarians from 1980 until 1987. From 1987 until 1996, he served as the editor (chief editor since 1990) of the Catholic Guide paper, and in 1996 he did his habilitation degree in Kraków on Jean-Paul Sartre and Emmanuel Levinas.[2] In 1996, Jędraszewski was made an associate professor in Poznań and was also made a visiting professor to the Pontifical Lateran.
John Paul II appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Poznań on 17 May 1997, and he received his episcopal consecration on 29 June 1997 from Juliusz Paetz. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop of Lodz on 11 July 2012 and he was enthroned there on 8 September. Pope Francis appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop of Kraków to succeed Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, and he was installed there on 28 January 2017.[3]
He attended the ad limina visit of bishops with Pope Francis on 1 February 2014. Francis appointed him a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education on 30 November 2013.
In 2013, he launched an initiative called "Dialogues in the Cathedral" that became extremely popular. People could send the archbishop an email asking about an aspect of the faith, and he would answer once a month at open meetings in the cathedral.[3]
Views
editIVF treatments
editWhen Poland's government began to subsidize in vitro treatments, he said that IVF was an assault on the dignities of all people and suggested that infertile couples should resort to adoption rather than something that would go above the creative power.[3]
Abortion
editJędraszewski opposes abortion in all circumstances and advocates "the legal protection of human life from conception to natural death".[citation needed]
Transgender and LGBT rights
editThe archbishop is a strong opponent of transgender rights, referring to it as the "direct path to the self-destruction of our civilization". He was speaking at an adolescent catechesis in Pabianice about the importance of accepting one's own gender when he called upon people to oppose "misanthropic egalitarianism", which he lamented has "become fashionable in recent years". Jędraszewski called "gender ideology" an "extremely dangerous ideology that leads directly to the death of our civilization".[4] During a sermon on August 1, 2019, Jedraszewski called "LGBT ideology" a "rainbow plague" and compared it to the "red plague" of Communism.[5][6]
Halloween
editIn 2013, the archbishop urged the faithful not to take part in the celebrations of Halloween "even in playful form". He dubbed it an "anti-Christian festival", and urged both parents and teachers to protect children "against its images of terror and dread" that were the opposite of the Christian message. He issued a pastoral letter dedicated to this, and said that introducing people to Halloween "is a violation of Church teaching", while urging them to observe All Saints Day and All Souls Day.[7]
Friendship with Pope John Paul II
editJędraszewski was a close friend of Pope John Paul II. The two men became friends in 1975 when Jędraszewski was residing at the Polish College in Rome as he studied at the Pontifical Gregorian college. The then-Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyła lived at the Polish College when in Rome and demonstrated a keen interest in its students and their studies. But Wojtyla was also fond of philosophy and found Jędraszewski's studies interesting. The two often discussed various topics and kept personal correspondence with each other when Wojtyła became pope in 1978, and this increased when Jędraszewski became a bishop.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b "Pope Francis names new archbishop of Krakow, Poland". Catholic News Agency. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Archbishop Marek Jedraszewski – the new Archbishop of Krakow". John Paul II Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 October 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d "A Surprising Choice for Krakow". The Catholic World Report. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- ^ "Archbishop Criticizes Gener Ideology: "Direct Path to Self-Destruction"". Eponymous Flower. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
- ^ Scally, Derek (August 2, 2019). "Polish archbishop compares LGBTI community to 'red plague'". The Irish Times. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- ^ "Arcybiskup mówił o "tęczowej zarazie". Powstańcy oburzeni". TVN Warszawa (in Polish). TVN. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ "Halloween violates Church teaching, says Polish archbishop". Catholic Herald. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ "Krakow's New Archbishop Shares Special Memories of St. John Paul II, Divine Mercy". National Catholic Register. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
External links
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Media related to Marek Jędraszewski at Wikimedia Commons
