Sławoj Leszek Głódź

Sławoj Leszek Głódź (born 13 August 1945) is a Polish prelate of the Catholic Church who served been Archbishop of Gdańsk from 2008 to 2020. He has been a bishop since 1991 and before that spent a decade working in the Roman Curia.

His Excellency Sławoj Leszek Głódź
Archbishop of Gdańsk
Sławoj Leszek Głódź (2018)
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Gdańsk
Province	Gdańsk
Metropolis	Gdańsk
Appointed	17 April 2008
Installed	26 April 2008
Term ended	13 August 2020
Predecessor	Tadeusz Gocłowski
Orders
Ordination	14 June 1970 by Henryk Gulbinowicz
Consecration	23 February 1991 by Józef Glemp
Rank	Archbishop
Personal details
Born	(1945-08-13) August 13, 1945 Bobrówka, Mońki County
Nationality	Polish
Previous post	Bishop of Military Ordinariate of Poland (1991-2004) Bishop of Warszawa-Praga (2004-2008) Titular Bishop of Bettonium(1991-1998)
Alma mater	Archdiocesan Higher Theological Seminary in Bialystok Institut Catholique de Paris John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin Pontifical Oriental Institute
Motto	Milito pro Christo(I fight for Christ)
Coat of arms

Styles of Sławoj Leszek Głódź
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Archbishop

Early life and Priesthood

He was born in Bobrówka on 13 August 1945. He entered the major seminary of Białystok in 1964, however due to the communist regime in Poland he had to interrupt his studies between 1966-1968, as the mandatory military service in clerical companies.[1] During his service he obtained the specialization of a sapper of Pontoons.[2] He completed his priestly formation and was ordained a priest on 14 June 1970. Between He continued his studies on canon law at the Catholic University of Lublin and the Pontifical Oriental Institute, where he earned a doctorate in eastern canon law in 1980.[3]

From 1981 to 1991 he worked in Rome in the offices of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, where he received the dignity of a prelate in 1984.[1][3]

Bishop

Pope John Paul II appointed him titular bishop of Bettonium and the Bishop of the newly re-created Military Ordinary of Poland on 21 January 1991. He received his episcopal consecration from Cardinal Józef Glemp on 23 February 1991 in the Jasna Góra Basilica in Częstochowa.[3] On the 18 of April 1991 he was appointed to the rank of General of the Brigade, and on November 11, 1993 to the rank of Divisional general.[4] During the office of the bishop, he reconstructed the diocesan structures of the Ordinariate, establishing a network of military parishes across Poland. He also established two new distinctions of the Ordinariate: in 1995 the diploma "Benemerenti" and in 2001 the medal "Milito pro Christo".

On 17 July 2004, John Paul raised him to the personal rank of archbishop (ad personam) [5] and on 26 August appointed him Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Warszawa-Praga.[6]

79th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II

On April 17, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI named him Archbishop of Gdańsk.[3] His ingress to the Archcathedral of the Holy Trinity in Gdańsk-Oliwa, during which he canonically took office, took place on 26 April 2008. On June 29, 2008 he received the metropolitan pallium from the Pope in Rome. Lech Wałęsa and others protested his appointment calling it a "punishment" for the city in light of his defense of an anti-Semitic radio station and his opposition to the European Union.[7] In 2013, the Polish weekly magazine Wprost published an article in which the accounts of anonymous people from the surroundings of the Archbishop were presented, accusing him of humiliation and intimidation of subordinates, mobbing and the organization of alcoholic libations.[8]

(Bishop) General Sławoj Leszek Głódź
Bishop General Sławoj Leszek Głódź (1991)
Years of service	1966-68 1991-2004
Rank	Generał Dywizji
Unit	32 Budziszyński Mechanized Regiment 5 Sappers Brigade Military Ordinariate of Poland
Awards

In May 2019, a documentary film called Tell No One about sexual abuse of minors committed by Polish priests became available on the internet and depicted Głódź as both indifferent to victims and praising a prominent priest accused as a sexual predator. Asked to comment on the film, he said: "I don’t watch any old thing." He then issued a statement that said: "I did not intend to offend victims of sexual abuse with my words, and I am sorry."[9] Some local clergy called for him to resign.[10] In 2019, three protestors toppled a statue of Rev. Henryk Jankowski following revelations that he sexually Barbara Borowiecka when she was a girl.[11][12] Jankowski, who also had a criminal investigation involving the sexual abuse of a boy dropped against him in 2004, had been defrocked in 2005.[12] However, he died in 2010 without ever being convicted of sex abuse.[12] It has also been acknowledged that Lech Walsea's personal chaplain Rev. Franciszek Cybula had been accused of committing acts of sex abuse while serving in the as well.[11]

Resignation

On August 13, 2020, Pope Francis Glodz, who was among those who covered up abuse committed by Jankowski and Cybula, from his position as Archbishop of Gdansk.[11] Glodz had also presided over Cybula's funeral.[11] Despite the fact that Glodz turned 75, the required age for Catholic Bishops to offer their resignation, the move was described as "cleaning house," as it is highly unusual for the pope to accept such a resignation on a prelate's actual birthday.[11]

Ordination history of Sławoj Leszek Głódź
History Priestly ordination Ordained by Henryk Gulbinowicz Date 14 June 1970 Episcopal consecration Principal consecrator Józef Glemp Co-consecrators Franciszek Macharski Henryk Gulbinowicz Date 23 February 1991 Place Jasna Góra Basilica, Częstochowa
Episcopal succession Bishops consecrated by Sławoj Leszek Głódź as principal consecrator Wiesław Śmigiel 21 April 2012 Zbigniew Zieliński 24 October 2015

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Józef Gawlina	Military Ordinariate of Poland 1991-2004	Succeeded by Tadeusz Płoski
Preceded by Kazimierz Romaniuk	Bishop of Warszawa-Praga 2004-2008	Succeeded by Henryk Hoser
Preceded by Tadeusz Gocłowski	Archbishop of Gdańsk 2008-2020 }}

References

1. "Bp Sławoj Leszek Głódź arcybiskupem - ekai.pl". archive.is. 2013-05-03. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
2. "Abp Głódź - nowy biskup warszawsko-praski - ekai.pl". archive.is. 2013-05-03. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
3. "Rinunce e nomine, 17.04.2008" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 17 April 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
4. "Katolicka Agencja Informacyjna :: Serwis". archive.is. 2013-05-03. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
5. "Rinunce e nomine, 17.07.2004" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 17 July 2004. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
6. "Rinunce e nomine, 26.08.2004" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 26 August 2004. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
7. Flückiger, Paul (12 April 2008). "Proteste gegen neuen Danziger Bischof". Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 23 May 2019.
8. Rigamonti, Magdalena (2013-03-17). "Poważne zarzuty wobec abp. Głodzia. "Pił, wyzywał, poniżał"". WPROST.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2019-06-17.
9. Guzik, Paulina (17 May 2019). "Polish Church wrestles with sex abuse after YouTube documentary". Crux. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
10. Luxmoore, Jonathan (22 May 2019). "'No words to express our shame': Polish bishops apologize for abuse". National Catholic Reporter. Catholic News Service. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
11. https://www.wral.com/pope-cleans-house-in-poland-after-abuse-cover-up-scandal/19233772/
12. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-poland-church-abuse/statue-of-polish-solidarity-priest-accused-of-paedophilia-removed-idUKKCN1QA1OA

External links

• Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Sławoj Leszek Głódź ^{[self-published]}