Tadeusz Rydzyk (; born 3 May 1945 in
Olkusz
Olkusz ( yi, עלקיש ''Elkish'', german: 1941-45 Ilkenau) is a town in southern Poland with 36,607 inhabitants (2014). Situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Katowice Voivodeship (1975–1998), it is the capital ...
)
[Biography in Polish , http://ludzie.wprost.pl/sylwetka/Tadeusz-Rydzyk/] is a
Roman Catholic
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 ...
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 particu ...
and
Redemptorist
The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...
, founder and director of the conservative
Radio Maryja
Radio Maryja is a religious and political socially conservative Polish radio station. It was founded in Toruń, Poland, on 9 December 1991, by the Redemptorist Tadeusz Rydzyk. The name "Maryja" is a traditional Polish form of the name "Mary", ...
station, and founder of the University of Social and Media Culture in
Toruń
)''
, image_skyline =
, image_caption =
, image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg
, image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg
, nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town
, pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...
.
Life and career
Tadeusz Rydzyk was born out of wedlock to his mother, the widowed Mrs. Rydzyk, and her boyfriend Bronisław Kordaszewski and spent his childhood in Olkusz.
He studied at the Higher Spiritual Seminary of Redemptorists in
Tuchów
Tuchów is a town in Tarnów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with a population of 6,476 (2004). It lies on the ''Biała'' river, at the height of above sea level. The distance to Kraków is , and to the border with Slovakia, approxim ...
, and later at the Catholic Theology Academy in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
. He was 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 particu ...
in 1971 and taught religion in
Toruń
)''
, image_skyline =
, image_caption =
, image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg
, image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg
, nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town
, pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...
,
Szczecinek
Szczecinek ( ; German until 1945: ''Neustettin'') is a historic city in Middle Pomerania, northwestern Poland, with a population of more than 40,000 (2011). Formerly in the Koszalin Voivodeship (1950–1998), it has been the capital of Szczecinek ...
and
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
. In 1986 Rydzyk left for
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
where he was involved with a radio station ''Radio Maria International in Balderschwang'' (later closed by the Catholic Church authorities for moving away from Catholic doctrine).
Following his return to Poland in 1991, Rydzyk started
Radio Maryja
Radio Maryja is a religious and political socially conservative Polish radio station. It was founded in Toruń, Poland, on 9 December 1991, by the Redemptorist Tadeusz Rydzyk. The name "Maryja" is a traditional Polish form of the name "Mary", ...
, the second worldwide Catholic radio station (the first being
Vatican Radio
Vatican Radio ( it, Radio Vaticana; la, Statio Radiophonica Vaticana) is the official broadcasting service of Vatican City.
Established in 1931 by Guglielmo Marconi, today its programs are offered in 47 languages, and are sent out on short wave, ...
). He established the
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
newspaper ''
Nasz Dziennik
''Nasz Dziennik'' ("Our Daily") is a Polish language, Polish-language Roman Catholic daily newspaper published six times a week in Warsaw, Poland. It is connected to the Lux Veritatis Foundation. Its viewpoint has been described as right-wing to ...
'' ('Our Daily') and the television station
''Trwam'' ('I Persist').
On 8 October 2009, Rydzyk earned a PhD in
Theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
from the Cardinal
Stefan Wyszyński
Stefan Wyszyński (3 August 1901 – 28 May 1981) was a Polish prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the bishop of Lublin from 1946 to 1948, archbishop of Warsaw and archbishop of Gniezno from 1948 to 1981. He was created a cardinal on ...
University in Warsaw.
Controversies
In July 2009 Rydzyk made a racist comment towards a black missionary, Michał, who holds Polish citizenship and speaks fluent Polish. Michał was introduced to the stage by Rydzyk with these words 'Dear, there's a negro. My God, you didn't bathe. Come here brother. He did not bathe at all. Look everyone.' Rydzyk later claimed it was a joke and Michał reportedly found the joke funny. He also praised Radio Maryja after Rydzyk's racist introduction.
In February 2011, Rydzyk was fined 3500
zloty after the local district court in
Toruń
)''
, image_skyline =
, image_caption =
, image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg
, image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg
, nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town
, pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...
found that he broke the law by using Radio Maryja to call for donations to
TV Trwam, the University of Social and Media Culture and the geothermal drilling conducted by the
Lux Veritatis Foundation.
In June 2011, while meeting members of the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
, he called Poland "an uncivilized country" and "a totalitarian regime," and claimed that it was not ruled by Poles. The Polish
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
protested against these statements and sent a diplomatic note to the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
, to which Catholic religious orders, including the Redemptorists, are subject.
In 2006, the US-based
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...
accused Rydzyk and his
Radio Maryja
Radio Maryja is a religious and political socially conservative Polish radio station. It was founded in Toruń, Poland, on 9 December 1991, by the Redemptorist Tadeusz Rydzyk. The name "Maryja" is a traditional Polish form of the name "Mary", ...
station of antisemitism. However, Rydzyk also has Jewish backers, including Jonny Daniels, an Orthodox Jew from England who heads the "From the Depths Foundation" in Warsaw that highlights the heroism of Poles who rescued Jews during the war and who is a frequent guest on Rydzyk's media outlets. Daniels said that he "feels like a part of the Radio Maryja family."
Tadeusz Rydzyk commented on the award-winning documentary
''Tell No One'' that covers child molestation by Catholic Church clergy in Poland as follows: "Is it fair; is it caring? It's a fight against the Church calculated for its destruction." He said that the drama of the victims was turned into a "pedophilia industry" and that "we already had a club of antisemitism, Nazism, nationalism, fascism and now a club of pedophilia was formed. Hatred stands behind all this."
See also
*
Redemptorists
The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...
References
External links
Tadeusz Rydzyk's Facebook Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rydzyk, Tadeusz
Catholic Church in Poland
Polish Roman Catholic priests
1945 births
20th-century Roman Catholic priests
21st-century Roman Catholic priests
Living people
Redemptorists
Polish conservatives
Polish anti-communists
Roman Catholic activists
People from Olkusz