Benedict XVI names Bishop Nycz new Archbishop of Warsaw

Vatican City, Mar 3, 2007 / 09:26 am

The Vatican announced Saturday morning the Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to name Bishop Kazimierz Nycz as the new Archbishop of Warsaw, Poland.

Bishop Nycz was born on February 1st, 1950 in Stara Wies and was ordained a priest on May 20th 1973, for the Archdiocese of Krakow.

Nycz has long been involved in educational roles in the Polish Church.  After completing his Doctoral studies at the Catholic University of Lublin he worked for the Archdiocese of Krakow’s Office of Catechesis.  He also served for a short time as Vice-Rector of Krakow’s Major Seminary.

In 1988 Nycz was named as an Auxiliary Bishop of Krakow and was ordained to the episcopacy on June 4th of the same year.

Since November of 1999 Bishop Nycz has also served as President of the Polish Bishops Conference Commission on Catholic Education.  In June of 2004 he was named Bishop of Koszalin-Kolobrzeg and in December of the same year was named a Member of the Permanent Council of the Polish Bishops Conference.

The newly appointed archbishop steps into a troubled archdiocese.  Following the retirement of Cardinal Jozef Glemp, Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus was appointed to the seat.  However, just before his installation, Wielgus resigned his office amid charges that he had cooperated with the Communist secret police during Poland’s occupation.  Wielgus’s confession of cooperation triggered a spate of investigation and accusations against many Polish clergy members for their potential involvement with the oppressive regime.