Cardinal Adam Kozłowiecki, S.J., (; 1 April 1911 – 28 September 2007) was a Jesuit priest who survived almost six years of captivity and torture in

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps (), including subcamp (SS), subcamps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe. The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately af ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, to become a missionary in Africa. He rose to the rank of

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of the Archdiocese of Lusaka in

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

. He was named a

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

Biography

Born in

Huta Komorowska Huta Komorowska is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Majdan Królewski, within Kolbuszowa County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Majdan Królewski, north of Kolbuszowa, and ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, now part of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, into a family of noble descent, styled by the

Ostoja coat of arms Ostoja is a Polish heraldry, Polish coat of arms that probably originated from Sarmatians, Sarmatian Tamga and refer to Royal Sarmatians using Draco (military standard), Draco standard. Following the end of the Roman Empire, in the Middle Ages it ...

, Kozłowiecki was schooled first in the Jesuit College in Chyrów where he was later a monitor, and secondly in

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

where he passed his school leaving exam. He was ordained priest on 24 June 1937 after completing his studies at Stara Wieś and the universities of

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

and

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

. His first vicariate was in the parish of

Nowy Wiśnicz Nowy Wiśnicz () is a small town in Bochnia County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,728 inhabitants (2019). Located south of Bochnia, Nowy Wiśnicz is renowned for its Italianate fortified castle which dominates the skyline. Former s ...

Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name ''Małopolska'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...

. In November 1939 he and 24 confrères were arrested by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

and sent to

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

. Six months later he was transferred to the

Dachau concentration camp Dachau (, ; , ; ) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest-running one, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents, which consisted of communists, s ...

, where he remained until the end of the war. After his liberation, Kozłowiecki was granted his own request, by the Father General of the Society of Jesus, to go to

Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in Southern Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia and North ...

, where Polish Jesuits already had a mission. He taught there for several years until being appointed Apostolic Administrator of the new Prefecture of

Lusaka Lusaka ( ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was abo ...

in 1950. As the mission grew, he was named Bishop and Vicar Apostolic on 11 September 1955. In 1959 he was appointed the first Metropolitan Archbishop of

. He resigned from the see in 1969 so that an African could be appointed Archbishop. He participated in all the sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

and in the first Synod of Bishops in 1967, and in the 1994 Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops dedicated to Africa. After his resignation, he continued to serve as a missionary in Zambia. He was a member of the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation (Roman Curia), congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for Catholic missions, missionary work and related activities. It is also kn ...

from 1970 to 1991. He was created a Cardinal by

John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

in the consistory of 21 February 1998; he was

of the ''Titulus S. Andreae in Quirinali''. Because he reached 80 before becoming Cardinal, he was not eligible to participate in the 2005 conclave. He died on 28 September 2007. The Cardinal received many recognitions, among them from

President of Poland The president of Poland ( ), officially the president of the Republic of Poland (), is the head of state of Poland. His or her prerogatives and duties are determined in the Constitution of Poland. The president jointly exercises the executive ...

Lech Kaczyński Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010 in an air crash. The aircraft carrying ...

and a foundation and museum in his name.

Published works in Polish

* ''Ucisk i strapienie. Pamiętnik więźnia 1939-1945'', ed. I: Kraków 1967; ed. II: 2 vol., Kraków 1995; ed. III: Kraków 2008. A prisoner's diary during Nazi captivity. * ''Listy z misyjnego frontu'', ed. Ludwik Grzebień SJ and ''Wśród ludu Zambii'', vol. 2, Kraków 1977. Correspondence from Africa. * ''Moja Afryka, moje Chingombe. Dzieje misjonarza opisane w listach do przyjaciół'', ed. Ludwik Grzebień, Kraków 1998. Letters to friends.

Awards and memorials

* Commander of the Zambian Order of the Grand Companion of Freedom from President

Kenneth Kaunda Kenneth Kaunda (28 April 1924 – 17 June 2021), also known as KK, was a Zambian politician who served as the first president of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from Northern Rhodesia, British ...

on 25 May 1985. * Chevalier of the

Legion d'honeur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was o ...

from the French state on 19 December 2006. * The Grand Cordon of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland () is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident abroad. As such, it is sometimes referred to as ...

from President

Lech Wałęsa Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as the president of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 Polish presidential election, 1990 election, Wałę ...

on 5 April 1995. *

Grand Cross Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Gran ...

of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

, the highest possible national honour from President

on 24 May 2007. * Commemorative plaque unveiled for Cardinal Adam Kozłowiecki (pol.). majdankrolewski.pl, 2008-10-03. ccess date 2010-11-09 * Honorary citizen of

Majdan Królewski Majdan Królewski () is a village in Kolbuszowa County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Majdan Królewski. It lies approximately north of Kolbuszowa and north- ...

. majdankrolewski.pl. ccess date 2016-07-11 * The Adam Kozłowiecki Museum and Foundation, "Heart without Borders", was founded in his honour. deon.pl, 2011-09-24. ccess date 2017-06-16

Sandomierz Sandomierz (pronounced: ; , ) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (), situated on the Vistula River near its confluence with the San, in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy ...

. info.wiara.pl, 2008-03-27. ccess date 2011-06-20 * Recognition as a notable citizen of the

Subcarpathian Voivodeship Subcarpathian Voivodeship is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship, or province, in the southeastern corner of Poland. Its administrative capital and largest city is Rzeszów. Along with the Marshal, it is governed by the Subcarpathian Regional As ...

. bip.podkarpackie.pl. ccess date 2017-12-15 rchived (2017-06-16)

References

Bibliography

* pap, ss: Zmarł kardynał Kozłowiecki (pol.). wprost.pl, 2007-09-28. ccess date 2011-06-20 * Sprawozdanie Dyrekcji Zakładu Naukowo-Wychowawczego OO. Jezuitów w Bąkowicach pod Chyrowem za rok szkolny 1936/37. Przemyśl: 1937, p. 12. Report from the Jesuit College in Chyrow 1936-7.

Przemyśl Przemyśl () is a city in southeastern Poland with 56,466 inhabitants, as of December 2023. Data for territorial unit 1862000. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodeship. It was previously the capital of Prz ...

: 1937 (in Polish)
Sylwetka w słowniku biograficznym kardynałów Salvadora Mirandy
* Agata i Zbigniew Judyccy, ''Polonia. Słownik biograficzny'', Warszawa 2000 (p. 155–156)

External links

* bio of Adam Cardinal Kozłowiecki {{DEFAULTSORT:Kozlowiecki, Adam 1911 births 2007 deaths 20th-century Polish nobility 20th-century Polish cardinals 21st-century Polish cardinals 20th-century Polish Jesuits Auschwitz concentration camp survivors Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II Christian ethicists Christian humanists Civilians who were court-martialed Clergy from Kraków Clan of Ostoja Dachau concentration camp survivors Grand Cordons of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Grand Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta Jesuit archbishops Jesuit cardinals Jesuit missionaries Participants in the Second Vatican Council People associated with Chyrów People from Subcarpathian Voivodeship Polish anti-fascists Polish expatriates Polish memoirists Polish recipients of the Legion of Honour Polish Roman Catholic missionaries Polish Roman Catholic titular archbishops Roman Catholic bishops of Lusaka Roman Catholic archbishops of Lusaka Roman Catholic missionaries in Zambia Zambian Roman Catholic archbishops Bishops appointed by Pope Pius XII