Alojz Tkáč
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Monsignor Alojz Tkáč (2 March 1934 – 23 May 2023) was a Slovak Roman Catholic prelate. He was the bishop of Košice from 1990 to 1995, the first
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 Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Košice from 1995 to 2010 and archbishop emeritus until his death.


Early life

Tkáč was born in the village of Ohradzany to a religious farming family. His father was the mayor of the village. He wanted to become a priest since childhood. Following education at a Grammar School in
Humenné Humenné (; ; ) is a town in the Prešov Region ("kraj") in eastern Slovakia and the second largest town of the historic Zemplín region. It lies at the volcanic Vihorlat mountains and at the confluence of the Laborec and Cirocha Rivers. Na ...
, he applied to study theology at the
Comenius University Comenius University Bratislava () is the largest university in Slovakia, with most of its faculties located in Bratislava. It was founded in 1919, shortly after the creation of Czechoslovakia. It is named after Jan Amos Comenius, a 17th-century ...
, where he was accepted in 1956 after being turned down three times.


Church career


Priesthood and persecution

Tkáč was consecrated in 1961 by the Bishop of Trnava Ambróz Lazík. Following the mandatory military service, Tkáč worked in the archive of the Košice Diocese. On 23 October 1974 Tkáč criticized the state of the church at an internal meeting. His speech was broadcast by
Vatican Radio Vatican Radio (; ) 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, DRM, medium wave, FM, satellite and the Internet. ...
and
Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
. The Communist regime punished Tkáč by withdrawing state consent for Tkáč to preach. As a result, Tkáč made a living as a tram driver and lumberjack. In 1983, following a temporary improvement of the relationship between the Church and the regime, Tkáč was again granted permission to work as a priest and was assigned to the parish in the
Červenica Červenica is a village and municipality in Prešov District in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia. History In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1427. Until the 19th century its mines were the only source of precious opa ...
village.


Bishop and archbishop of Košice

Following the
Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...
,
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 ...
assigned Tkáč to the role of Bishop of Košice, which had been vacant since the death of Jozef Čársky in 1962 due to the resistance of the Communist regime to the appointment of a new bishop. In 1995 the Košice Diocese was promoted to archdiocese, with Tkáč becoming its first archbishop. As archbishop he opened a new house for priests in
Veľký Šariš Veľký Šariš is a small town near Prešov in eastern Slovakia. The town is known as the site of the largest brewery in Slovakia – Šariš Brewery. Etymology The etymology of the name is uncertain. Hungarian historians and linguists prefer t ...
, renovated the seminary in Košice, established new parishes and presided over the construction of 80 new churches. He was also instrumental in the establishment of a
Carmelite The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...
monastery at Sídlisko KVP. In 1997, he defended
Jozef Tiso Jozef Gašpar Tiso (, ; 13 October 1887 – 18 April 1947) was a Slovaks, Slovak politician and Catholic priest who served as president of the Slovak Republic (1939–1945), First Slovak Republic, a client state of Nazi Germany during World War ...
, the fascist president of World War II-era
Slovak Republic (1939–1945) Slovakia, officially the (First) Slovak Republic, and from 14 March until 21 July 1939 officially known as the Slovak State (, ), was a partially-recognized Clerical fascism, clerical fascist client state of Nazi Germany which existed between 1 ...
and relativized his role in the Holocaust, claiming that "rich and powerful" Jews living overseas did not do enough to save the European Jews. In 2009 Tkáč reached the age of 75 and, following canonical law, submitted his resignation to
Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
, who accepted it in 2010. Tkáč was replaced by Bernard Bober, who had been his auxiliary bishop since 1992. Tkáč continued to assist Bober in the capacity of an archbishop emeritus until his death on 23 May 2023.


Personal life and death

Tkáč donated blood more than hundred times. He financially supported the education of children in Asia and Africa. Tkáč died on 23 May 2023, at the age of 89. He is buried in the crypt under the Cathedral of St. Elizabeth.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tkac, Alojz 1934 births 2023 deaths People from Humenné District 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Slovakia 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Slovakia 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Slovakia Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Comenius University alumni