Bishop of Wrocław

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Bishops of Wrocław/Breslau Bishopric, Prince-Bishopric (1290-1918), and Archdiocese (since 1930; see Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wrocław/Breslau for details).

Bishops

Prince-Bishops

Archbishops

  • 1930–1945 – Adolf Bertram (d. 6 July), archbishop since 13 August 1930
  • 1945–1972 – sede vacante

Intermittent administrators and capitular vicars:

  • 16 July 1945 till 31 August 1945 – Capitular vicar Ferdinand Piontek, bishop-elect
    • Breslau and most of the archdiocesan territory (like most of Silesia) were annexed to the People's Republic of Poland in July 1945. On 1 September 1945 the archdiocese was de facto divided into four separate areas, (1) the East German archdiocesan area (seat in Görlitz), (2) the administrative district of Gorzów Wielkopolski (also competent for the Polish-annexed diocesan areas of the archiespiscopal suffragans, such as the Diocese of Berlin and the Territorial Prelature of Schneidemühl), (3) the administrative district of Opole, and (4) the administrative district of Wrocław (until 1978 also competent for the Czechoslovakian archdiocesan area):
      • (1) 1945–1963 Capitular Vicar Ferdinand Piontek (1878–1963), in the East German archdiocesan area he remained undisputedly in office since his election on 16 July 1945, Pope Pius XII granted him on 28 February 1946, when still residing in Wrocław, the rights of a residing bishop. Piontek was expelled from Poland to the British zone of occupation on 9 July, he could return to the archdiocese in March 1947, then taking residence in East German Görlitz.
      • (1) 1963–1972 Capitular Vicar Gerhard Schaffran, also Bishop of Meissen (1970–1987)
      • (2) 1945–1951 Administrator Edmund Nowicki, appointed for the Gorzów Wielkopolski district with effect of 1 September 1945, deposed and expelled by Communist Polish government on 26 January 1951
      • (2) 1951–1952 Capitular Vicar Tadeusz Załuczkowski
      • (2) 1952–1955 Capitular Vicar Zygmunt Szelążek
      • (2) 1956-1958 Capitular Vicar Teodor Bensch
      • (2) 1958-1958 Capitular Vicar Józef Michalski
      • (2) 1958-1972 Capitular Vicar Wilhelm Pluta, thereafter bishop of the Diocese of Gorzów Wielkopolski newly established from the archdiocese in 1972
      • (3) 1945–1951 Administrator Bolesław Kominek, appointed administrator for the Opole district with effect of 1 September 1945, deposed and expelled by Communist Polish government on 26 January 1951
      • (3) 1951–1956 Capitular Vicar Emil Kobierzycki
      • (3) 1956–1972 Franciszek Jop, Special Delegate (for Opole) of Primas Stefan Wyszyński, administrator since 1967, thereafter bishop of the Diocese of Opole newly established from the archdiocese in 1972
      • (4) 1945–1951 Administrator Karol Milik, appointed for the Wrocław district by August Hlond on 15 August with effect of 1 September 1945, not recognized as archbishop by the Holy See, deposed and expelled by Communist Polish government on 26 January 1951
      • (4) 1951-1956 - Capitular Vicar Kazimierz Lagosz, not recognized as archbishop by the Holy See
      • (4) 1956-1972 - Capitular Vicar Bolesław Kominek, not recognized as archbishop by the Holy See, thereafter appointed as archbishop of Wrocław with a sharply belittled archdiocesan area
      • (2, 3 and 4) 1951-1958 - Teodor Bensch, spiritual assistant with episcopal jurisdiction for the remaining non-expelled Germans in the Polish part of the archdiocese (residing in Gorzów Wielkopolski (Landsberg an der Warthe)).
    • In 1972 the Holy See redrew the archdiocesan boundaries. The East German archdiocesan area (1) was disentangled from the archdiocese and established as the exempt Apostolic Administration of Görlitz (in 1994 elevated to diocese), the district of Gorzów Wielkopolski was established as the new archiepiscopal suffragan Diocese of Gorzów Wielkopolski (renamed and regrouped as suffragan in 1992), the district of Opole (3) was established as the new suffragan Diocese of Opole and the territorially belittled remainder henceforth became the archdiocese proper with its capitular vicar elevated to archbishop.
  • 1972-1974 - Bolesław Kominek, card., papally appointed as archbishop
  • 1974-1976 – sede vacante with Wincenty Urban as capitular vicar
  • 1976-2004 - Henryk Gulbinowicz, card.
  • 2004–2013 - Marian Gołębiewski
  • since 2013 - Józef Kupny

Auxiliary bishops

Apostolic visitators for the expelled German priests and faithful

The expelled German priests and German Silesian faithful from the original Archdiocese of Breslau were granted the privilege of an apostolic visitator, given all diocesan jurisdiction required, by Pope Paul VI in 1972, in order to serve the Catholic Heimatvertriebene from Silesia, in West Germany, their new home.[3]

Notes

  1. The date of death of bishop John is not known, neither are the names of his successors before the destruction of diocese during pagan uprising in 1030s. (assuming there were any).
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Jurek T., Zagadka biskupa wrocławskiego Roberta, „Śląski Kwartalnik Historyczny Sobótka” 1990, pp. 1-11
  3. http://www.visitator-breslau.de/index.php?aktuell=apostolischer_visitator

Further reading