1. Early life, ordination, and priesthood

2. Death of John Paul II

3. Archbishop of Krakow and cardinal

4. Maciel and Groër involvement

5. Writings

6. References

7. Further reading

8. External links

Early life, ordination, and priesthood

Dziwisz was born in the village of Raba Wyżna to Stanisław Dziwisz, a railroad worker, and his wife, Zofia Bielarczyk.^[3] The fifth of seven children, he has four brothers and two sisters.^[4] During World War II, the family hid a Jewish man in their house.^[4] When the younger Stanisław was only nine, his father died after being struck by a train while crossing the railroad tracks.^[4] He attended the classical Secondary School (Liceum) in Nowy Targ, passing the exam of maturity in 1957.^[5]

Dziwisz then entered the Major Seminary of Kraków, where he completed his studies in philosophy and theology.^[5] On 23 June 1963, he was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Kraków by its auxiliary bishop, Bishop Karol Wojtyła.^[6] His first assignment was as a curate at a parish in Maków Podhalański, where he served for two years.^[7] He then continued his studies at the Faculty of Theology of Kraków, specialising in liturgy and earning a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in 1967.^[5] In October 1966, he was appointed by Archbishop Wojtyła, who had been elevated to Archbishop of Kraków, to serve as his personal secretary. Dziwisz remained in this position until Wojtyła's death in 2005.^[8]

In addition to his duties as personal secretary, Dziwisz served as professor of liturgy at the Superior Catechetical Institute in Kraków, editor of the official newspaper of the archdiocesan curia, member and secretary of the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission, and a member of the Presbyteral Council.^[7] He also participated in the work of the Committee for the Holy Year (1974–1975) and of the Pastoral Synod of Kraków (1972–1978).^[5]

Dziwisz accompanied Wojtyła to the papal conclave of August 1978, which elected of Pope John Paul I.^[4] Following the death of John Paul I thirty-three days later, he and Wojtyła returned for the next conclave, which elected Wojtyła as Pope John Paul II. Dziwisz was appointed his principal private secretary and served in that capacity throughout John Paul's 27-year pontificate.

In 1981 he earned a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree from the Faculty of Theology of Kraków, with a thesis entitled "The Cult of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop of Kraków, until the Council of Trent".^[4]

John Paul and Dziwisz were said to have a father-son like relationship. Dziwisz slept in a bedroom next to that of John Paul's, was always near him during Mass, and was with him almost every waking moment. During John Paul's papacy Dziwisz became one of the most influential voices in the Vatican.

Dziwisz was appointed titular bishop of San Leone and joint head of the Prefecture of the Papal Household on 7 February 1998. He was consecrated a bishop on 19 March of that year, the principal consecrator being Pope John Paul II and the co-consecrators Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Cardinal Sodano and the then Cardinal-Archbishop of Kraków Franciszek Cardinal Macharski. John Paul II elevated Dziwisz to the rank of archbishop on 29 September 2003, still having the titular see of San Leone.

In 2004, Dziwisz appeared to be the source of a quote from John Paul endorsing the film The Passion of the Christ, which required clarification from Vatican officials because the pope never makes such endorsements.^[9][10]

Death of John Paul II

As the Vatican denied the pope's health was getting worse, the Roman newspaper Il Messaggero reported that Dziwisz had told a priest, "Pray for the pope, because he's getting worse."^[11] On 31 March 2005 Archbishop Dziwisz administered the Anointing of the Sick to him. Before the death of John Paul II, Dziwisz was reported to have helped him write a message to his staff not to grieve, that he (John Paul) was happy and that they should be too.{{cn|date=December 2016}} In 2013, Dziwisz said that Pope John Paul II had not resigned because of his failing health because he believed "you cannot come down from the cross".^[12]

When John Paul died on 2 April 2005, Archbishop Dziwisz was at his bedside. According to rules created by John Paul, Dziwisz packed his belongings and vacated the papal apartments before they were sealed by the Camerlengo. During the Requiem Mass for John Paul on 8 April, Archbishop Dziwisz had the honour of placing a white silk veil over the face of the Pope before the body was lowered into three separate caskets. It was the symbolic last act of service of Archbishop Dziwisz as papal secretary for John Paul. He was one of the few people mentioned in the will of Pope John Paul II, who wrote: "and I thank him for his help and collaboration, so understanding for so many years".^[13]

Archbishop of Krakow and cardinal

On 3 June 2005 Benedict XVI appointed Dziwisz to succeed Cardinal Macharski as Archbishop of Kraków.

At the consistory of 24 March 2006 Dziwisz was raised to the rank of cardinal, becoming Cardinal-Priest of S. Mariae de Populo. Dziwisz had also been mentioned as the possible cardinal created in pectore by John Paul II in 2003, but the identity of that person remained unknown at John Paul's death.^[14] Dziwisz is eligible to participate in papal conclaves until his 80th birthday in 2019.

In May 2006 Pope Benedict named Dziwisz to be a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education and the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

On 26 May 2010, Dziwisz was awarded the Cardinal Bea Interfaith Award of the Anti-Defamation League. Abraham Foxman, its President, said: "Cardinal Dziwisz is a valued friend to the Jewish people and someone I know I can trust and turn to in moments of tension or controversy." Dziwisz replied:^[15]

In 2012 Dziwisz, as part of a broader trip, visited parishes with a significant Polish presence in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, in the United States.^[16]

Dziwisz participated in the papal conclave in March 2013, where he was thought to have an outside chance of election{{cn|date=December 2016}} though he was not mentioned in the press as a likely candidate.

On 8 December 2016, Pope Francis accepted Dziwisz' resignation as Archbishop of Krakow and named Marek Jędraszewski, Archbishop of Łódź, to succeed him.^[17]

Maciel and Groër involvement

Dziwisz supported Roman Catholic priest Marcial Maciel Degollado of Mexico, the founder of the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi movement. Author Jason Berry wrote Maciel spent years cultivating Vatican support by funneling money to the Vatican. Under Maciel, the Legion of Christ steered streams of money through Dziwisz to the pope and the Vatican designated for use in relation to the pope's private Masses in the Apostolic Palace.^[18] Late in Maciel's life, he was revealed to have abused boys and fathered up to six children, two of whom he allegedly abused, with at least two women.

Dziwisz was instrumental in blocking an investigation into allegations of child abuse against the late Benedictine Cardinal of Vienna Hans Hermann Groër. Groer, who died in 2003, headed the Vienna archdiocese and presided over the influential Austrian episcopal conference. Groer, who always denied wrongdoing, was praised by Pope John Paul II as a faithful servant.^[19] The Roman Catholic bishops of Austria, however, were of a different opinion. On the occasion of their ad limina visit to Rome in 1998, the Austrian bishops informed the Pope that they, as a college of bishops, had reached moral certainty that the allegations against Cardinal Groer had a basis in truth.^[20]

Writings

• A Life with Karol, Doubleday, 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-385-52374-5}}

References

Further reading

• Michał Pietrzak (oprac.), Kronika Parafii Raba Wyżna T. I, 1835–1993, Kraków – Raba Wyżna 2011.
• T. Chmura, Z Raby Wyżnej przez Kraków na Watykan. Curriculum Vitae księdza biskupa Stanisława Dziwisza, [w:] „Analecta Cracoviesnia” XXX – XXXI 1998 – 1999, s. 9 – 22.
• Gmina Raba Wyżna, zebrał i oprac. E. Siarka, Kraków – Michałowice 2004.

External links

• {{cite web| accessdate = 22 November 2017| title= Dziwisz Card. Stanisław |publisher= Holy See Press Office | url= https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_dziwisz_s.html | dead-url=no | archive-date= 4 September 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170904105209/http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_dziwisz_s.html }}
• Archdiocese of Krakow
• Catholic Hierarchy Profile of Stanisław Dziwisz
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