Bishop Cyryl Klimowicz (russian: Кирилл Леопольдович Климович; born November 5, 1952 in Amangeldy, near

Almaty Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

) is the Ordinary of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Joseph at Irkutsk The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Joseph at Irkutsk ( la, Ircutscana Sancti Iosephi) is a diocese located in the city of Irkutsk, which is part of the ecclesiastical province of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mother of God at Moscow in Ru ...

Life and career

Klimowicz was born in Kazakhstan to Polish parents. From 1956 to 1965 he lived in the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, and later he moved with his family to Poland. After graduating from high school in 1974 he entered the Major Seminary «Hosianum» in the city of

Olsztyn Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini'' * Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...

(

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

), from which he graduated in 1980. He was ordained as priest on June 8, 1980 by the Primate of Poland Cardinal

Józef Glemp Józef Glemp (18 December 192923 January 2013) was a Polish cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Warsaw from 1981 to 2006, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1983. Biography Early life and ordination Józef Glemp was ...

. After his ordination, Klimowicz served as vicar in the cities Wydminy,

Pasłęk Pasłęk (pronounced ; formerly known in Polish as Holąd Pruski, , Old Prussian: ''Pāistlauks'', lt, Paslenkas) is a historic town in northern Poland, within Elbląg County in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. In 2017, the town had 12,298 regis ...

and

Klewki Klewki is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Przasnysz, within Przasnysz County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies approximately west of Przasnysz and north of Warsaw. References
Villages in Przasn ...

under Olsztyn; in this period he participated in the construction of a new seminary in Olsztyn, Poland. In July 1990 he became rector and dean of Głębokie in the archdiocese of Minsk-Mogilev (

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

). On October 13, 1999, Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

appointed Klimowicz as auxiliary bishop to the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Minsk-Mohilev Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, Titular Bishop of Arban (October 13, 1999 - April 17, 2003). On December 4, 1999, in the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary at

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

, he was consecrated as bishop by Cardinal

Kazimierz Świątek Kazimierz Cardinal Świątek ( be, Казімір Свёнтак, translit=Kazimir Sviontak; 21 October 1914 – 21 July 2011) was a Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who was most known for his resistance to Cold ...

. From 1999 to 2003 Bishop Klimowicz was Vicar General of the Minsk-Mogilev Archdiocese and rector of the Cathedral in Minsk. On April 17, 2003, Pope John Paul II appointed him as diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Saint Joseph with the center in Irkutsk. On June 15, 2003 in Irkutsk Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of the Mother of God, he was inaugurated as the new diocesan bishop. On January 18, 2005 Bishop Klimowicz was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia (KKER). He is Head of the Catechetical Commission and the Commission for inter-Christian and interreligious dialogue and dialogue with non-believers. He is fluent in Belarusian, Russian, Polish and Italian.

References

External links

* http://www.gazeta.ru/2003/04/17/last83283.shtml * http://www.babr.ru/news/print.php?IDE=10928 * http://www.sibgerold.ru/circ_Klimovich.php * https://web.archive.org/web/20050223124213/http://www.catholic.by/port/ru/news/2005-01-18.htm * http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bklim.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Klimowicz, Cyryl 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Russia 1952 births Living people People from Jambyl Region Kazakhstani people of Polish descent Kazakhstani Christians