Posted on 06/04/2005 1:14:09 PM PDT by lizol
By Ela Kasprzycka ASSOCIATED PRESS
4:46 a.m. June 3, 2005
WARSAW, Poland – Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, personal secretary and close friend to the late Pope John Paul II, was named the archbishop of Krakow on Friday, the Vatican's representative to Poland said. Dziwisz, 66, takes over the position once held by the late pope, said Jozef Trela, secretary to papal nuncio Archbishop Jozef Kowalczyk.
He replaces the popular Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, 78, who asked to retire three years ago due to his age but stayed on at the request of John Paul.
"I have been wanting and thinking about this for a long time," Macharski said of Dziwisz's appointment in an interview on TVN24. "It is a sign John Paul II is still providing us protection from heaven."
Pope Benedict XVI accepted Macharski's resignation at the same time he appointed Dziwisz, the Vatican said.
Macharski said Dziwisz would likely take over his new duties formally on Aug. 27 at the Wawel Castle cathedral.
Macharski said Dziwisz's appointment was widely anticipated, and would be treated "by the entire world with kind feelings and respect."
Dziwisz, who shunned the limelight during his time serving the charismatic John Paul, had been a close associate since 1966. He is widely credited with helping save John Paul's life by rushing him to the hospital after he was shot in an assassination attempt in 1981.
He was one of only two living people mentioned in John Paul's will, and was at the pontiff's side when he died.
Dziwisz, the son of a railway worker, was born on April 27, 1939, in Raba Wyzna in the mountainous region of southern Poland, close to the late pope's home town of Wadowice.
The Krakow archbishop is traditionally a cardinal, meaning Dziwisz will likely be elevated to that position.
Well, that's good. I wondered what the Archbishop was going to do -- stay on or go somewhere else. Thank you for the update.
Is this the same man who flat out refused to burn Pope John Paul II's notes as was demanded in his will?
Yes, he's JP II's executor.
Yes, Archbishop Dziwisz said some of the notes could be useful in the effort to declare John Paul a saint, and also Dziwisz also said that the papers contain "great riches" and should be saved for future generations to study and learn from.
Yeah, but what did John Paul II want? It seems to me his wishes trump the desires of an underling.
Archbishop Dziwisz wasn't an "underling", he was a close personal friend of JPII of 40 years. In the end, we're going to benefit from the mind that was JPII, no matter which denomination we belong to. I myself, a Protestant, will be fascinated to read these notes once they enter into the public domain.
Oh, I am so glad. He was such a faithful friend and it's wonderful that he gets to go home, and I do hope they make him a Cardinal.
Most interesting news.
Well, it's something usual (but still strange in my opinion) not to obey such instructions. Franz Kafka also wanted his friend to burn all his works, including the great "Trial".
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