Stefan Wyszyński (3 August 1901 - 28 May 1981) was a
PolishPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is 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...
prelateA prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who either is an ordinary or ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, literally, "carry before," or "to be set above, or over," or "to prefer," hence a prelate is one set over...
of the
Roman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
. He served as the bishop of
LublinLublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,462 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
from 1946 to 1948, archbishop of Warsaw and archbishop of Gniezno from 1948 to 1981. Appointed
cardinalA cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually a bishop, 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 making themselves available...
on 12 January 1953 by
Pope Pius XIIPope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as the 260th Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
, he assumed the title of
PrimatePrimate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence .-Roman Catholic Church:In the Western Church, a Primate is an archbishop—or rarely a suffragan...
of Poland. Stefan Wyszyński was often called the Primate of the Millennium.
Early life and ordination
Wyszyński was born in a village, Zuzela, on the River Bug, on the regional border between Mazovia and Podlasie. In outcome of the
PartitionsThe Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The partitions were carried out by Prussia, Russia and Habsburg Austria dividing up the Commonwealth lands...
in the late 18th century, these territories were part of the Russian partitional zone until the end of the First World War. In those areas directly incorporated in the Russian Empire there was an intensive campaign to make the Polish population abandon their traditions and lose their national awareness.
In 1912 Wyszyński's father (his mother had died when he was nine) sent him to
WarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2009 was estimated at 1,709,781, and the Warsaw metropolitan area at approximately 2,785,000...
. He completed his grammar school education there in 1915. He then enrolled in the
seminaryA seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of higher education for instructing students , sometimes at the postgraduate level, in philosophy, theology, spirituality and the religious life, to prepare students for ordination as clergy or other ministry...
in Włocławek, and on his 24th birthday (3 August 1924), after being hospitalised with a serious illness, he received his
priestly ordinationThe ministerial orders of the Catholic Church includes the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
from Bishop Adalberto Owczarek.
Priest and professor
Wyszyński celebrated his first Solemn High Mass of Thanksgiving, at
Jasna GóraThe Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland is the most famous shrine to the Virgin Mary in Poland and the country's greatest place of pilgrimage - for many its spiritual capital. The image of Black Madonna of Częstochowa, to which miraculous powers are attributed, is Jasna Góra's most...
in
CzęstochowaCzęstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 248,894 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
, a place of special spiritual significance for many Catholic Poles. The Pauline
monasteryMonastery , a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer Monastery (plural: monasteries), a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios...
there holds the picture of the
Black MadonnaThe Black Madonna of Częstochowa is a holy icon of the Virgin Mary, that is both Poland's holiest relic and one of the country's national symbols.-Icon:The origins of the...
, or Our Lady of Częstochowa, the
patron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges...
and guardian of Poland. Father Wyszyński spent the next four years in Lublin, where in 1929 he received the doctor's degree in the Faculty of
Canon LawCanon law is the body of laws and regulations made by or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
and the Social Sciences of the Catholic University of Lublin. His dissertation in Canon Law, was
entitled
The Rights of the Family, Church and State to Schools. For several years after graduation he travelled throughout Europe, where he furthered his education.
After returning to Poland, Father Wyszyński began teaching at the seminary in Włocławek. When the Second World War broke out in 1939, he left Włocławek because he was wanted by the
GermansGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
for the pastoral duties he had performed for working-class people.At the request of Bishop Kozal, he went to Laski near Warsaw. When the
uprisingThe Warsaw Uprising was a struggle by the Polish Home Army to liberate Warsaw from Nazi German occupation during World War II. The Uprising began on 1 August 1944, as part of a nationwide rebellion, Operation Tempest. It was intended to last for only a few days until the Soviet Army reached the...
broke out on 1 August 1944, he became
chaplainA chaplain is typically a priest, pastor, ordained deacon, rabbi, imam or other member of the clergy serving a group of people who are not organised as a mission or church, or who are unable to attend church for various reasons; such as health, confinement, or military or civil duties; lay...
of the Kampinos unit of the
Armia KrajowaThe Armia Krajowa , abbreviated "AK", was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
Polish underground resistance organisation.
In 1945, a year after end of war in the area, Wyszyński returned to Włocławek, where he started a restoration project for the devastated seminary, becoming its rector and the chief editor of a Catholic weekly.
Bishop
Just a year later, on 25 March 1946, Pope Pius XII appointed him Bishop of Lublin; he was consecrated by August Cardinal Hlond on 12 May that year. After the death of Cardinal Hlond on 22 October 1948, he was named Metropolitan Archbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw, and thus Primate of Poland, on 12 November 1948.
Post-war resistance to Communism
World War II ended in 1944 however in eastern present-day Poland, and later in the west hostilities continued between a large segment of native Poles and the Stalinist government, which lasted for several years. The Catholic Church was hoping for return of the Polish government-in-exile from London and the removal of Stalin's puppet regime. The Church actively supported the anti-Communists. One of the prime issues was the confiscation of properties for public use, including secular schools and for distribution among farmers. The Catholic Church had been the largest single land owner just before the war.
In 1950 Archbishop Wyszyński decided to enter into a secret agreement with the
Communist authoritiesThe Polish People's Republic was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990.Although the Polish People's Republic was a sovereign state as defined by international law, its leaders were at the very least approved by the Kremlin...
, which was signed on 14 February 1950 by the Polish
episcopateIn the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
and the government. The agreement settled political dispute of the Church in Poland. It allowed the Church to hold reasonable property, separated church from politics, prohibited religious indoctrination in public schools, and even allowed authorities to select a bishop from 3 candidates presented. Karol Wojtyla was selected in such a manner.
Beginning in 1953, another wave of persecution swept Poland. When the bishops continued support for resistance, mass trials and the internment of priests began - the cardinal being among the victims. On 25 September 1953 he was imprisoned at Rywałd, and later placed under
house arrestIn justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
in Stoczek near
Lidzbark WarmińskiLidzbark Warmiński is a town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the capital of Lidzbark County.- History :The town was originally an Old Prussian settlement known as Lecbarg until being conquered in 1240 by the Teutonic Knights, who called it Heilsberg...
, in Prudnik near
OpoleOpole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 129,553 and is the capital of the Opole Voivodeship, and also the seat of Opole County. It is the historical capital of Upper Silesia...
and in the monastery in Komańcza in the Bieszczady Mountains. While imprisoned, he observed the brutal torture and mistreatment of the detainees, some highly perverse in nature. He was released on 26 October 1956.
Relations with Jews
After the war Stefan Wyszyński demonstrated
anti-semiticAntisemitism is prejudice against or hostility towards Jews, often rooted in hatred of their ethnic background, culture, or religion....
attitudes. When a
hand grenadeA hand grenade is an anti-personnel weapon that explodes a short time after release. The French military term grenade probably comes from the shape of the pomegranate fruit, which is also called grenade in French....
had been thrown into the local Jewish community headquarters Stefan Wyszyński was approached by the Jewish delegation. Wyszyński stated that the popular hatred of Jews was caused by Jewish support for Communism, which had also been the reason why "the Germans murdered the Jewish nation". Wyszyński also gave some credence to blood libel rumors commenting that the question of the use of Christian blood was never completely clarified.
Cardinal and Primate of Poland
On 12 January 1953, Wyszyński was elevated to the rank of Cardinal-Priest of
Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere by Pius XII.
Nonetheless, he never stopped his religious and social work. Its crowning achievement was the celebration of Poland's Millennium of Christianity in 1966 - the thousandth anniversary of the baptism of Poland's first prince,
Mieszko IMieszko I , was a Duke of the Polans from about 960 until his death. Member of the Piast dynasty, he was son of the legendary Siemomysł, grandchild of Lestek and father of Bolesław I the Brave, the first crowned King of Poland, and Świętosława , a Nordic Queen.The first historical ruler of Poland,...
. During the celebration, the Communist authorities refused to allow
Pope Paul VIPope Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 1963 to 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
to visit Poland; they also prevented Cardinal Wyszyński from attending overseas celebrations. Wyszyński triumphed in 1978, when Karol Wojtyla of Kraków was elected
Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła served as Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death almost 27 years later. His was the second-longest pontificate; only Pope Pius IX served longer...
, followed by a spectacular papal visit to Poland in 1979. Wyszyński did not turn a blind eye towards the civil unrest in 1980. When the
SolidaritySolidarity is a Polish trade union federation founded in September 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyard, and originally led by Lech Wałęsa.Solidarity was the first non-Communist-controlled trade union in a Warsaw Pact country...
trade union was created in Poland, he appealed to both sides, the government as well as the striking workers, to be responsible for their actions.
Cardinal Wyszyński, often called the Primate of the Millennium, died on 28 May 1981 at the age of 79. To commemorate the twentieth anniversary of his death, the year 2001 was celebrated as the Year of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński.
Legacy
In 2000 a motion picture was made about the life and imprisonment of Wyszyński,
The Primate - Three Years Out of a Thousand, directed by Teresa Kotlarczyk. The title role was played by
Andrzej SewerynAndrzej Seweryn is a Polish actor and director.His parents Zdzisław and Zofia were captured and forced into slave labor in Germany, during World War II. After the birth of Andrzej, they returned to Poland....
.
In the
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
miniseriesA miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul II is a 2005 television miniseries dramatizing the life of Pope John Paul II from his early adult years in Poland to his death on April 2, 2005 at age 84....
(based upon the life of the
Polish popePope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła served as Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death almost 27 years later. His was the second-longest pontificate; only Pope Pius IX served longer...
), Cardinal Wyszyński was portrayed by English actor
Christopher LeeSir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor. He initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
.
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