Prince Jan Duklan Maurycy Paweł Puzyna de Kosielsko (13 September 1842 – 8 September 1911) was a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

Roman Catholic Cardinal who was auxiliary bishop of Lwów (now Lviv,

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

) from 1886 to 1895, and the

bishop of Kraków A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

from 1895 until his death in 1911. Named a Cardinal in 1901, he was known for his

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

views and authoritarianism.

Biography

Puzyna was born in 1842 in what was then a part of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...

and former part of the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exi ...

, in the diocese of Lwów. He earned a doctorate in law from the

University of Lwów The University of Lviv ( uk, Львівський університет, Lvivskyi universytet; pl, Uniwersytet Lwowski; german: Universität Lemberg, briefly known as the ''Theresianum'' in the early 19th century), presently the Ivan Franko Na ...

on 24 June 1870. He began a career in civil administration, but decided to embrace an ecclesiastical career. Ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

on 1 December 1878, he was a vicar (assistant pastor) at

Przeworsk Przeworsk (; uk, Переворськ, translit=Perevors'k; yi, פּרשעוואָרסק, translit=Prshevorsk) is a town in south-eastern Poland with 15,675 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. Since 1999 it has been in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship ...

, and then became a Canon of the Cathedral of Przemyśl. He was named auxiliary bishop of the Latin-rite Archbishop of Lwów and

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

of Memphis on 26 February 1886. He was consecrated a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

on 25 March of that same year by Mieczysław Halka-Ledóchowski, with Archbishop

Franziskus von Paula Graf von Schönborn Franziskus von Paula Graf von Schönborn ( cz, František Schönborn; 24 January 1844 – 25 June 1899) was a Czech Roman Catholic cardinal. Born at Prague, he was 5th Bishop of České Budějovice (1883–1885) and 28th Archbishop of Prague (fr ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

and Archbishop

Joseph Sembratovych Joseph Sembratovych ( uk, Йосиф Сембратович, pl, Josyf Sembratowycz; 8 November 1821, Krynica-Zdrój – 23 October 1900) was the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from 1870 until his resignation ...

Ukrainian rite , native_name_lang = uk , caption_background = , image = StGeorgeCathedral Lviv.JPG , imagewidth = , type = Particular church (sui iuris) , alt = , caption = St. George's C ...

Lwów. He was translated to the

Archdiocese of Kraków In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

on 22 January 1895. On 15 April 1901, Puzyna was created a

cardinal-priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

, with the title of Santi Vitale, Valeria, Gervasio e Protasio by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

. He received his red hat on 9 June 1902. During the conclave of 1903, acting on behalf of his Sovereign, Emperor

Franz Joseph I of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

, he presented a

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...

against the election of Cardinal

Mariano Rampolla Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro (17 August 1843 – 16 December 1913) was an Italian Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, and the last man to have his candidacy for papal election vetoed through ''jus exclusivae'' by a Catholic monarch. Early li ...

. Puzyna wanted to avoid the election of Rampolla, who was sympathetic to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Among other things, Rampolla sought to curry favor with Russia by abolishing the Polish language and instituting Russian in the Russian partition's Catholic churches. These were ethnic and linguistic considerations. Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, too, did not wish to see Rampolla elected to the

Chair of Peter The Chair of Saint Peter ( la, Cathedra Petri), also known as the Throne of Saint Peter, is a relic conserved in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the sovereign enclave of the Pope inside Rome, Italy. The relic is a wooden throne that tradi ...

. He held a grudge against Rampolla for opposing a proper burial for his son

Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria en, Rudolph Francis Charles Joseph , caption = Rudolf in 1887 , spouse = , issue = Elisabeth Marie, Princess Otto of Windisch-Graetz , house = Habsburg-Lorraine , father = Franz Joseph I of Austria , mother ...

, upon Rudolf's suicide. Rampolla also openly supported political forces in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

that were hostile to the Emperor. The Emperor therefore authorized the Cardinal to present the veto in his name. On his way to the conclave, Puzyna met in Vienna with the Emperor and proposed that the Emperor present his veto, ''

jus exclusivae ''Jus exclusivae'' (Latin for "right of exclusion"; sometimes called the papal veto) was the right claimed by several Catholic monarchs of Europe to veto a candidate for the papacy. Although never formally recognized by the Catholic Church, the ...

'', against Cardinal Rampolla. The Emperor subscribed to the idea, and Puzyna presented the veto on the third day of the conclave, in the name of His Apostolic Majesty Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. When the veto was read, Cardinal Luigi Oreglia di Santo Stefano, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, replied, "This communication cannot be received officially or unofficially. No cardinal is to give any consideration to this 'veto' and all are to continue to vote according to their conscience." In other words, the attempt at a veto was rejected. It was the last time such a veto was used. The veto, although not recognized by

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

, and as such non-binding, still carried much political weight, as the cardinals feared opposing the manifest will of one of the Christian monarchs. The veto, once conceded by tradition to the Emperor, the King of France and the King of Spain, was abolished by the newly elected Pope Pius X, who imposed the penalty of

excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

upon anyone who would dare to introduce a veto, or otherwise interfere in the election of the Roman Pontiff. Pope Pius X further decreed that all cardinals should take an

oath Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to g ...

at the beginning of the conclave, promising not to aid any civil power in an attempt to influence the election of the pope. Puzyna was decorated with the Grand Cross of the

Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary The Order of Saint Stephen ( hu, Szent István rend) was an order of chivalry founded in 1764 by Maria Theresa. In 1938, Miklós Horthy took the rights and activities of Grand Master as Regent of Hungary. The name of the Order changed to the Roy ...

in 1904. He was a member of the Sacred Congregation Consistorial, the SC of Bishops and Regulars, the SC of the Index, the SC of Indulgences and Relics, and the SC of Studies. Jan Cardinal Puzyna de Kosielsko died in Kraków in 1911, five days before his 69th birthday.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puzynadekosielsko, Jan Maurycy Pawel 1842 births 1911 deaths 20th-century Polish cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Leo XIII Bishops of Kraków Knights of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Poland

Biography

See also

Related article

Notes