Warsaw, Poland, Apr 3, 2007 / 08:48 am
In an emotion filled ceremony this weekend Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz was formally installed as the new Roman Catholic Archbishop of Warsaw. Nycz took the helm of the archdiocese following a scandal which saw several Polish clerics admit to having succumbed to pressure to cooperate with the formerly ruling Communist regime.
At the Palm Sunday ceremony Archbishop Nycz urged Catholics not to “betray the Christian roots of Europe, the Christian concept of life from conception to natural death, the Christian understanding of marriage and family, freedom in raising children and everything which is human dignity,” according to the German Press Agency (DPA).
The archbishop also said his priorities will include establishing good relations among the clergy, with lay people and creating more open contacts with the young. He stressed that in a modern pluralistic society the Church cannot fulfill its mission without the lay. He added, he would welcome the faithful to address expectations with regard to his performance in duties.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Nycz on March 3 on the heels of a scandal which erupted in January when Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus dramatically backed out of assuming the post over allegations he had co-operated with communist-era secret police.
Nycz, 57, was recently identified in a new book, 'Priests and the Security Police,' as being a clergyman of outstanding fortitude who did not succumb to pressure to co-operate with communist intelligence services, the DPA reported.
Nycz holds a doctorate in theology and carries the reputation of being humble and an open and effective communicator. He also played a pivotal role in organising visits of the late Pope John Paul II to his Polish homeland.