New Krakow archbishop named to replace former top papal aide

WARSAW, Poland – Archbishop Marek Jedraszewski from the central Polish city of Lodz will be the new archbishop of Krakow, succeeding the retiring Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Catholic church authorities in Poland announced Thursday.

Jedraszewski, 67, said he understood Krakow’s significance to the history of both Poland and its Catholics and received the appointment by Pope Francis “with obedience and great gratitude.”

As the archbishop of Lodz, he has stressed traditional Catholic teachings on family and marriage, but also was considered open to dialogue and communicated with the faithful over the internet.

In October, Jedraszewski denounced the nationwide protests by women against Poland’s conservative government planned total ban on abortions as a manifestation of the “civilization of death.” On Saturday, he attended ceremonies marking 25 years at the controversial Catholic Radio Maryja, which has hosted views regarded by many as xenophobic and anti-Semitic.

St. John Paul II, born Karol Wojtyla, was Krakow’s archbishop when he was chosen as pope in October 1978. He took Dziwisz, his secretary in Poland, with him to the Vatican and made him his closest aide and finally the executor of his will.

After Pope John Paul’s death in 2005, Dziwisz was named as Krakow archbishop. Francis encouraged him to stay on past his retirement to preside over a world youth meeting with the pope in Krakow in July.

Dziwisz was a driving force behind John Paul’s canonization in 2014.