Kazimierz Nycz was born on 1 February 1950 in Stara Wies, in the Archdiocese of Krakow. He was ordained to the diaconate by Cardinal Karol Wojtyla in 1972 and ordained a priest on 20 May 1973. He earned a licentiate in theology at the Pontifical Theological Academy of Krakow in 1976 and a doctorate at the Catholic University of Lublin in 1981, with a thesis on the implementation of the Second Vatican Council's catechetical renewal in the Archdiocese of Krakow. He then directed the Krakow archdiocesan catechesis office and taught catechesis. On 14 May 1988 he was appointed titular Bishop of Villa del Re and Auxiliary of Krakow, and was ordained a bishop on 4 June 1988. In 1999 he was made president of the Committee for Catholic Education, and his work focused on adapting Polish catechesis to the Church's post-Vatican II catechetical documents.
On 9 June 2004 he was appointed Bishop of Koszalin-Kolobrzeg, and on 3 March 2007 Archbishop of Warsaw. On 9 June 2007 he was also named Ordinary for the Eastern-Rite faithful in Poland, an office he held until 8 March 2025. Benedict XVI created him cardinal in the consistory of 20 November 2010, assigning him the title of Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti. He participated in the conclave of March 2013, which elected Pope Francis, and was a cardinal elector again in the 2025 conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV. He is a member of the Dicastery for the Clergy and the Dicastery for Culture and Education.
He resigned as Archbishop of Warsaw on 4 November 2024 and was succeeded by Archbishop Adrian Galbas, becoming Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Warsaw.
Consequential Quotes
The main intention of the Feast of Thanksgiving this year is to pray for a just peace in Ukraine, as well as among us, in our homeland and our hearts. Mutual forgiveness is necessary. As Christians, we should be able to forgive.
You cannot erase this truth even if, during the times of the communist terror, police control, the destruction of men in various ways by the regime, there were a certain number of priests who did not meet the challenge, which required heroism.
Instead, we must overcome the situation with serenity and continue our work, which is the mission of the church: to preach the Gospel, call the faithful to holiness through the sacraments and concretely witness to love. Nothing more.
The modern world needs the Church as a proclaimer of the Gospel law of love, justice and peace to all who have been baptized and to people of good will.
I believe the Church will not interfere in legislative work within parliament—that’s the responsibility of politicians.
Major Works & Initiatives
Doctoral thesis on Vatican II catechetical renewal
Doctorate at the Catholic University of Lublin on the implementation of the Second Vatican Council's catechetical renewal in the Archdiocese of Krakow, the study that set the direction of his later education work.
Chairman of the Polish bishops' Catholic education bodies
President (from 1999) of the Polish bishops' Committee/Commission for Catholic Education; his efforts centred on adapting Polish catechesis to the post-Vatican II catechetical documents, above all the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the General Directory for Catechesis.
Ordinary for the Eastern-Rite faithful in Poland
Named Ordinary for the Eastern-Rite faithful in Poland on 9 June 2007, while Archbishop of Warsaw; he held the responsibility until 8 March 2025, after his resignation from Warsaw.
Member of the Dicastery for the Clergy
Appointed a member of the Congregation for the Clergy on 29 December 2010 (per Wikipedia); the Holy See Press Office currently lists him as a member of the Dicastery for the Clergy and the Dicastery for Culture and Education.
Controversies
Civil partnership remarks, October 2024
In a Polsat News interview on 22 October 2024, as parliament considered a draft registered civil partnerships law, Nycz said he believed the Church would not interfere in the legislative work of parliament and that believers and the Church must show some tolerance toward people who wish to enter such unions. Supporters of the draft law read the remarks as openness to legal protections for same-sex couples; a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Warsaw stressed that his comments should not be understood as voicing support for the drafted law, and the remarks were not a statement that such partnerships are equivalent to marriage.
Sources
- Holy See Press Office — biography
- Wikipedia
- Polish Bishops' Conference — Feast of Thanksgiving remarks
- Catholic News Service — appointment as Archbishop of Warsaw, March 2007 (Archdiocese of Baltimore)
- Polish Bishops' Conference — Corpus Christi homilies, 9 June 2023
- My Impact — civil partnerships interview report, October 2024
- New Ways Ministry — civil partnerships remarks and archdiocesan clarification, 12 December 2024