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Andrzej Maria DeskurPolish Curial Cardinal.
Date of Birth: 29.02.1924
Country:  Vatican |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Priesthood and Early Career
- Vatican Career
- Episcopal Appointment and Friendship with John Paul II
- Cardinalate and Later Life
Early Life and Education
Stanisław Dziwisz was born on April 27, 1939, in Raba Wyżna, Poland. He attended the Jan Śniadecki High School in Kielce and, after World War II, continued his studies in Kraków. He earned a master's degree in Roman and canon law from the Jagiellonian University in 1945.
Priesthood and Early Career
In November 1945, Dziwisz entered the seminary in Kraków. In 1948, he was sent to study at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, graduating in 1952 with a doctorate in theology. He continued his studies at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome from 1952.
On August 20, 1950, Dziwisz was ordained a priest by Cardinal Pierre Gerlier, Archbishop of Lyon. Unable to return to Poland due to the Iron Curtain, he continued his studies at Fribourg and served as a pastor in Switzerland and France.
Vatican Career
In 1952, Dziwisz became the Deputy Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Cinema, Radio, and Television. He later served as Secretary of the Secretariat for Press Affairs during the preparatory phase of the Second Vatican Council (1964-1970). From 1973 to 1984, he was the President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
Episcopal Appointment and Friendship with John Paul II
On June 17, 1974, Dziwisz was appointed titular Bishop of Teni. He was consecrated by Pope Paul VI on June 30, 1974. He developed a close friendship with newly elected Pope John Paul II (formerly Cardinal Karol Wojtyła), who visited him in the hospital after he suffered a stroke in October 1978.
Cardinalate and Later Life
On February 15, 1980, Pope John Paul II elevated Dziwisz to the rank of archbishop. He became a cardinal-deacon on May 25, 1985, and a cardinal-priest on January 29, 1996. He held various positions in Vatican congregations and councils until he retired in 2004.
After retiring, Dziwisz resided in the Vatican Palace. He passed away on September 3, 2011, at the age of 72. In 1991, he received an honorary doctorate from the theological faculty of the Pontifical Academy of Theology in Kraków.
