New Polish cardinal served nearly 40 years as Pope John Paul's aide

Published: 2006-02-22

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Wearing a new red zucchetto, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, Poland, will welcome Pope Benedict XVI to Pope John Paul II's home diocese in late May. When Pope Benedict announced his nomination of 15 new cardinals Feb. 22, he included Archbishop Dziwisz, who had served as Pope John Paul's personal secretary for almost four decades. The 66-year-old Polish cardinal-designate's entire priestly life was tied to Pope John Paul. Archbishop Karol Wojtyla of Krakow -- who later became Pope John Paul -- ordained him to the priesthood in 1963 and asked him to become his private secretary in 1966. Just two months after Pope John Paul died, Pope Benedict named the former papal aide archbishop of Krakow. As head of an archdiocese with 1.5 million Catholics, he has framed much of his pastoral vision in terms of keeping alive the teaching of the Polish pope and encouraging his faithful to live in a way that pays tribute to their beloved Pope John Paul.

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