Opentopia Directory Encyclopedia Tools

Edmund Cardinal Szoka

Encyclopedia : E : ED : EDM : Edmund Cardinal Szoka


Styles of
Edmund Cardinal Szoka

Reference style His Eminence
Spoken style Your Eminence
Informal style Cardinal
See Detroit (emeritus)
Edmund Casimir Cardinal Szoka, (born September 14, 1927) is an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Formerly the Archbishop of Detroit in the United States, he was created Cardinal Priest (with the title of Ss. Andrea e Gregorio al Monte Celio) in the consistory of June 28, 1988 by Pope John Paul II. He currently serves as President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and Governor of Vatican City. It was announced on June 22, 2006, that his resignation had been accepted and that he would officially step down on September 15, 2006. He will be replaced by Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, who currently serves in the Secretariat of State as secretary for Relations with States (Source: [Vatican Press Release, June 22, 2006]).

Biography

He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Casimir and Mary (née Wolgat) Szoka, Polish immigrants. He did his primary studies at St. Michael School in Muskegon. He entered St. Joseph's Seminary in Grand Rapids and then St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan.

He was ordained a priest on June 5, 1954 in Marquette, Michigan and served as parochial vicar of the parish of St. Francis in Manistique, Michigan. In 1955, he became secretary to Bishop Thomas Noa of Marquette. From 1955 and 1962, he also served as chaplain at St. Mary’s Hospital. In 1956, he was named Roman Catholic chaplain at K. I. Sawyer AFB Michigan.

From 1957 to 1959, he attended the Faculty of Canon Law at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. Upon returning to the United States, from 1960 until 1971 he served at the matrimonial tribunal of the diocese of Marquette, while at the same time serving as chancellor’s assistant (1962-69), and parish priest (1962-63) of St. Pius X parish in Ispheming on north Lake Superior, parish priest of St. Christopher’s (1963-71), then chancellor of the diocese of Marquette. He also accompanied Bishop Noa to the first session of the Second Vatican Council.

On June 11, 1971, he was appointed Bishop of Gaylord, Michigan by Pope Paul VI and was ordained on July 20. A year later, the Bishops of the 4th pastoral region of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) elected him president for the period of 1972-77. At the same time, he was treasurer and secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Michigan.

On March 21, 1981 he was named Archbishop of Detroit by Pope John Paul II. Since 1981, he also served as president of the Administration Council of the provincial seminary of St. John in Plymouth, Michigan and SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary near Orchard Lake Village, Michigan. He was also a president of the board of directors of the Episcopal Conference of Michigan, member of the executive committee of the Catholic University, president of the Committee for University Relations, Administrator of the National Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception, treasurer of the NCCB, and served on committees within the Conference for: human values, bishops, dioceses and provinces, and economic affairs.

He was created Cardinal Priest in the consistory of June 28, 1988 by Pope John Paul II. He became Archbishop Emeritus of Detroit on April 28, 1990, and was named President of the Prefecture of Economic Affairs of the Holy See from January 22, 1990 to October 14, 1997.

On October 14, 1997, Cardinal Szoka was named President of the Governatorate of Vatican City State, and on February 22, 2001, President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State. Within the Roman Curia his membership is: Secretariat of State (second section), and Causes of Saints, Bishops, Evangelization of Peoples (Congregatio de Propaganda Fide), Clergy, Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (congregations).

Szoka was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI.

See also

|- style="text-align: center;" |- style="text-align: center;" |- style="text-align: center;" |- style="text-align: center;"

 


From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

Search Titles
0123456789
ABCDEFGHIJ
KLMNOPQRST
UVWXYZ?

E-mail this article to:

Personal Message: