Józef Eustachy Szembek (born 1697) was a Polish

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

who was

Bishop of Płock A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

from 1753. Szembek was born in Grodziecen to Antoni, the chamberlin 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 ...

. The family claimed the

Szembek Szembek or originally von Schönbeck is the name of an old Polish noble family of German origin, whose members held significant positions in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. History First mentioned at the beginning of the 14th century, th ...

coat of arms. Szembek received an education in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and became a priest in 1720. He held multiple positions before becoming Bishop of

Chełm Chełm (; ; ) is a city in eastern Poland in the Lublin Voivodeship with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some from the border with Ukraine. The ...

in 1736. According to

Antoni Julian Nowowiejski Antoni Julian Nowowiejski (11 February 1858 – 28 May 1941) was a Polish bishop of Płock (1908–1941), titular archbishop of Silyum, first secretary of Polish Episcopal Conference (1918–1919), honorary citizen of Płock and historian. H ...

, Szembek was made Bishop of Płock by King

August III Augustus III (; – "the Saxon"; ; 17 October 1696 5 October 1763) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1733 until 1763, as well as Elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire where he was known as Frederick Augustus II (). He w ...

in 1752. As bishop, Szembek republished

Pope Benedict XIV Pope Benedict XIV (; ; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Benedict X (1058–1059) is now con ...

's 1751

encyclical An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally fr ...

, ''A quo primum.'' In this encyclical, Benedict generally denounced efforts to expel or harm

Jews in Poland The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Jews, Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the long pe ...

, but he defended customs that placed Jews at a disadvantage in society. Szembek died in either 1758 or 1759. Historians

Ludwik Finkel Ludwik Michał Emanuel Finkel (20 March 1858, in Burshtyn, Bursztyn – 24 October 1930, in Lwów) was a Polish historian, and rector of the Lviv University. From 1878 to 1881 he studied history, philosophy and history of literature at the Lviv ...

and

mention 1758. Encyclopedist

Samuel Orgelbrand Samuel Orgelbrand (1810 – 16 November 1868) was a Polish-Jewish printer (publisher), printer, bookseller, and publisher. He is best known as the initiator, organizer, and publisher of the ''Encyklopedia Powszechna'' (Universal Encyclopedia), or ...

and ''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome. The website, not officially sanctioned by the Church, is run as a private pro ...

'' mention 1759.

References

1697 births 1750s deaths Year of death uncertain Bishops of Płock 17th-century Polish nobility 18th-century Polish nobility 17th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 18th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland) {{Poland-RC-bishop-stub

See also

References