Pavel Peter Gojdič (also known as Pavol Gojdič or Peter Gojdič; 17 July 1888 — 17 July 1960), was a Rusyn

Basilian monk Basilian monks are Greek Catholic monks who follow the rule of Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great, Caesarea Cappadociae, bishop of Caesarea (330–379). The term 'Basilian' is typically used only in the Catholic Church to distinguish Greek Catho ...

and the

eparch Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an Ecclesiology, ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administra ...

of the Slovak Greek Catholic Eparchy of Prešov. Following the

1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état In late February 1948, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ), with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia through a coup d'état. It marked the beginning of four decades of the party's rule in t ...

, he was arrested by the

StB State Security (, ), or StB / ŠtB, was the secret police force in communist Czechoslovakia from 1945 to its dissolution in 1990. Serving as an intelligence and counter-intelligence agency, it dealt with any activity that was considered oppositio ...

, the

secret police image:Putin-Stasi-Ausweis.png, 300px, Vladimir Putin's secret police identity card, issued by the East German Stasi while he was working as a Soviet KGB liaison officer from 1985 to 1989. Both organizations used similar forms of repression. Secre ...

of the

communist regime in Czechoslovakia Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, distrib ...

, and imprisoned on charges of high treason. Despite promises of immediate release if he would agree to become

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...

of the Orthodox Church in Czechoslovakia, Gojdič died at

Leopoldov Prison The Leopoldov Prison () is a Slovak state-operated penitentiary facility located in the town of Leopoldov. Initially a 17th-century fortress built to defend against Ottoman Turks, it was converted into a high-security prison in the 19th century, ...

as a

prisoner of conscience A prisoner of conscience (POC) is anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. The term also refers to those who have been imprisoned or persecuted for the nonviolent expression of their conscienti ...

in 1960. Following the 1989

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 ...

, Gojdič was posthumously honoured by post-communist Czechoslovakian President Vaclav Havel and

beatified Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...

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 ...

in 2001. For his role in saving 1500

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

lives during the

Holocaust in Slovakia The Holocaust in Slovakia was the systematic dispossession, deportation, and murder of Jews in the Slovak Republic, a client state of Nazi Germany, during World War II. Out of 89,000 Jews in the country in 1940, an estimated 69,000 were murde ...

, Bishop Gojdič was posthumously honoured as a

Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

in 2007.

Early life

Gojdič was born on 17 July 1888 at Ruské Pekľany (today part of Ľubovec in Slovakia), the third child of the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

Catholic

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 deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

Stefan Gojdič; his mother's name was Anna Gerberyova. He received the name of Peter in baptism. Gojdič attended primary school at Cigelka,

Bardejov Bardejov (; , , , , ) is a town in North-Eastern Slovakia. It is situated in the Šariš region on a floodplain terrace of the Topľa River, in the hills of the Beskids, Beskyd Mountains. It exhibits numerous cultural monuments in its completely i ...

and

Prešov Prešov () is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region () and Šariš. With a population of approximately 85,000 for the city, and in total more than 100,000 with the urban area, it is the second-largest city i ...

, finishing his primary studies at Prešov in 1907. He began his study of

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

at Prešov and continued them a year later at the major

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. He and his brother Cornelius were ordained on 27 August 1911, after which Gojdič worked for a brief period as assistant parish priest with his father.

Pastoral work

In the autumn of 1912, after a short period of pastoral work, he was appointed prefect of the Eparchial Boarding School for boys in Prešov, known as "The Alumneum." At the same time he became an instructor of religion in the city's higher secondary schools.Byzantine Catholic Seminary of SS. Cyril & Methodius
''Bishop Paul P. Gojdich, O.S.B.M: Our Valiant Confessor of the Faith''
Byzantine Seminary Press, July 1987. He was also entrusted with the spiritual care of the faithful in

Sabinov Sabinov (, , ) is a small town located in the Prešov Region (north-eastern Slovakia), approximately 20 km from Prešov and 55 km from Košice. The population of Sabinov is 12,700. Etymology The name apparently comes from some shortened ...

as assistant parish priest. Gojdič was appointed to the Bishop's Chancery Office, where eventually he achieved the rank of Chancellor. A career as a diocesan administrator did not attract him, so he decided to become a Basilian monk. On 20 July 1922 Gojdič entered St. Nicholas Monastery on Chernecha Hora, near

Mukachevo Mukachevo (, ; , ; see name section) is a city in Zakarpattia Oblast, western Ukraine. It is situated in the valley of the Latorica River and serves as the administrative center of Mukachevo Raion. The city is a rail terminus and highway junct ...

, where taking the habit on 27 January 1923, he took the name Pavel. Appointed Director of the Apostleship of Prayer, he became instrumental in spreading the practice of frequent

confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of people – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information that ...

and

Holy Communion The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

throughout the Eparchy of Mukachevo. He usually spent long hours, mostly at night, in the chapel before the tabernacle. In 1927 he was appointed titular Bishop of Harpasa and was consecrated on 25 March in the Roman

Basilica of San Clemente The Basilica of Saint Clement () is a Latin Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Pope Clement I located in Rome, Italy. Archaeologically speaking, the structure is a three-tiered complex of buildings: (1) the present basilica built just before t ...

by Bishop

Dionisije Njaradi Dionisije Njaradi (10 October 1874 – 14 April 1940) was a Yugoslavian Byzantine Church of Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, Greek Catholic hierarch of Pannonian Rusyns, Rusyn origin. He was auxiliary bishop (as titular Bishop of Abila Lysaniae) an ...

. After his episcopal ordination he visited the Basilica of St. Peter 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, ...

, where he prayed on the tomb of the apostle. On 29 March 1927, together with Bishop Njaradi, he was received in a private audience by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

. The pope gave Gojdič a gold

pectoral cross A pectoral cross or pectorale (from the Latin ''pectoralis'', "of the chest") is a Christian cross, cross that is worn on the chest, usually suspended from the neck by a cord or Link chain, chain. In ancient history and the Middle Ages, pector ...

, saying: "This cross is only a symbol of all those heavy crosses that you will have to carry during your episcopal ministry." Gojdič had been named apostolic administrator of the Eparchy of Prešov on 14 September 1926. His first official act in this office was to address a pastoral letter on the occasion of the 1100th anniversary of the birth of St. Cyril, apostle of the Slavs. Gojdič was proud of his

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

heritage and was very fond of his oriental rite."Pavol Gojdic (1888–1960)"
at the website of the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

Bishop

In 1940 the pope appointed him Bishop of Prešov, and for the year 1939 apostolic administrator of Mukacheve. Even before

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 ...

, he decided to defend both his fellow

Rusyns Rusyns, also known as Carpatho-Rusyns, Carpatho-Russians, Ruthenians, or Rusnaks, are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group from the Carpathian Rus', Eastern Carpathians in Central Europe. They speak Rusyn language, Rusyn, an East Slavic lan ...

and all speakers of other

minority language A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities. With a total number of 196 sovereign states recognized internationally (as of 2019) and ...

s against

coercive Coercion involves compelling a party to act in an involuntary manner through the use of threats, including threats to use force against that party. It involves a set of forceful actions which violate the free will of an individual in order to in ...

Slovakization Slovakization or Slovakisation (, ) is a form of either forced or voluntary cultural assimilation and acculturation, during which non-Slovak nationals give up their culture and language in favor of the Slovak one. This process has relied most ...

.Roy Palmer Domenico, Mark Y. Hanley, Michael J. Kopanic, Jr.
Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Politics
'. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. pg 243 From the beginning of their persecution in Slovakia, Gojdič spoke up openly in defence of the

Jewish population the world's core Jewish population (those identifying as Jews above all else) was estimated at 15.8 million, which is approximately 0.2% of the 8 billion worldwide population. Israel hosts the largest core Jewish population in the world with ...

. On 25 January 1939, two days after the establishment of a special committee by the Slovak autonomist government charged with defining the "Program for the Solution of the Jewish Question," the bishop wrote a letter addressed to all parishes in his Prešov diocese; in the letter, he predicted disastrous results caused by these discriminatory policies. After the Slovak parliament confirmed a special law permitting the expulsion of Jews from Slovakia, Gojdič wrote a protest against the cruel deportations which were being carried out by the Collaborationist Hlinka Party."Bishop Pavel Gojdic"
at the

website On 31 March 1942, Gojdič suggested to Vatican

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

Giuseppe Burzio Giuseppe Burzio (1901-1966), born Cambiano, Italy, was a Vatican diplomat and Roman Catholic Archbishop. Ordained in 1924, he enrolled in the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy Class of 1926 and was commissioned into the diplomatic service of the Ho ...

that Collaborationist Slovak President Fr.

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 ...

ought to be ordered to resign, and if he refused, be

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...

and laicized over his

complicity Complicity in criminal law refers to the participation in a completed criminal act of an accomplice, a partner in the crime who aids or encourages ( abets) other perpetrators of that crime, and who shared with them an intent to act to complete ...

in the

. During the war, the Bishop helped refugees and prisoners, and rescued inmates of

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

s. On 26 October 1942, the Slovak

Hlinka Guard The Hlinka Guard (; ; abbreviated as HG) was the militia maintained by the Slovak People's Party in the period from 1938 to 1945; it was named after Andrej Hlinka. The Hlinka Guard was preceded by the Rodobrana (Home Defense/Nation's Defen ...

informed the Ministry of the Interior that high number of fictitious conversions to Byzantine Catholicism were taking place. The report pointed out several cases where only one member of a Jewish family converted to Christianity in order to protect all the other members. Out of 249 Jewish families, 533 Jews had converted to the Greek Catholic or

Russian Orthodox The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

faith in order to rescue some 1500 other members of their families, who had not converted; moreover, most of those who had "converted" continued to actively practice Judaism either in the open or undercover. According to the security service report, Bishop Gojdič had personally held a fictitious conversion ceremony to save Jewish lives in the town of

Michalovce Michalovce (; , , Romani language, Romani: ''Mihalya'', Yiddish language, Yiddish: מיכאלאָווצע ''Mikhaylovets'' or ''Mykhaylovyts''; ) is a town on the Laborec river in eastern Slovakia. Originally named after the Archangel St Michael ...

. After the end of hostilities, Slovak Jews whose lives had been saved by Bishop Gojdič foresaw that he would be in danger from the new

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

government and repeatedly offered, through the

Bricha Bricha (), also called the Bericha Movement, was the underground organized effort that helped Jewish Holocaust survivors escape Europe post-World War II to the British Mandate for Palestine in violation of the White Paper of 1939. It ended w ...

organization, to smuggle him to the West. However, Gojdič refused to leave his post as bishop. Foreseeing the

well in advance, with the help of a new auxiliary, Bishop

Basil Hopko Basil or Vasiľ Hopko (21 April 1904, Hrabské — 23 July 1976) was an eparch (bishop) of the Slovak Greek Catholic Church. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 14 September 2003 for his martyrdom under Communist occupation. Life Basil ...

, Gojdič launched a campaign to reinforce the faith of his people by mobilizing every possible means: visits, missions, retreats, the radio, and the press. Gojdič resisted any initiative to submit the Greek Catholics to Russian Orthodoxy, as demanded by the Communist Party, even though Gojdič knew he was risking persecution, arrest and maybe even death. Even though he was put under severe pressure to renounce both the Catholic faith and unity with the Pope, he refused every offer. Gradually he was isolated from the clergy and the faithful. A memory to Peter Pavol Gojdich and Metod Dominik Trchka

A memory to Peter Pavol Gojdich and Metod Dominik Trchka

On 28 April 1950, the Communist state outlawed the Greek Catholic Church and Gojdič was arrested and incarcerated by the

. Slovak Jewish Holocaust survivors whose lives he had saved wrote a letter in his defense to the then-Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia

Antonín Zápotocký Antonín Zápotocký (; 19 December 1884 – 13 November 1957) was a Czech communist politician and statesman in Czechoslovakia. He served as the Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia from 1948 to 1953, and then as President of Czechoslovakia from 1 ...

, but to no avail. In January 1951, a trial "high treason" began against three Catholic bishops ( Ján Vojtaššák, , and Gojdič) he was given a

life sentence Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life imprisonment are c ...

. Transferred from one prison to another, he remained faithful, praying and saying

Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy () or Holy Liturgy is the usual name used in most Eastern Christian rites for the Eucharistic service. The Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Lutheranism, Eastern Lutheran Churches and the Eastern Orthodox Church believe the Divi ...

in secret, despite facing torture. Following an amnesty in 1953, given by Zapotocký, his life sentence was changed to 25 years detention. He was then 66 and his health continued to deteriorate, yet all further requests for amnesty were refused. At the prison of Ruzyň an official informed him that from there he could go straight to Prešov, on the sole condition that he agree to become

of the Orthodox Church in Czechoslovakia. He rejected the offer as an infidelity to the Pope and the faithful, and remained in prison. Gojdič once said, "I am certain that at the end truth will triumph over lies, and love will overcome hatred. I do not hate my enemies. I would like to bring them closer to Christ, of course not by force or deceit but by love and truth." Bishop Gojdič died of

terminal cancer Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, rather than fatal injur ...

in the prison hospital of

in 1960, on his 72nd birthday. He was buried in an anonymous grave, n. 681, in the cemetery.

Legacy and veneration

In 1968, his remains were moved to Prešov, and since 1990 have been kept in a sarcophagus in the Greek-Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Gojdič was legally rehabilitated on 27 September 1990. Subsequently, he was decorated posthumously by President Vaclav Havel with the Order of T. G. Masaryk – Second Class, and with the Cross of Pribina – First Class. On 4 November 2001, Bishop Gojdič was beatified by

, who during his visit in Slovakia, while visiting Prešov, prayed before his tomb in the chapel of the cathedral. Pope John Paul II said during his

homily A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, ''homilía'') is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered ...

for the occasion, "Known to the people as 'the man with a heart of gold,' he became known to the representatives of the government of the time as a real 'thorn in the side.' After the Communist regime made the Greek Catholic Church illegal, he was arrested and imprisoned. Thus for him began a long calvary of suffering, mistreatment and humiliation which brought about his death on account of his fidelity to Christ and his love for the Church and the Pope." He was honored in

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in 2007 as one of the

."Israel Awards Nine Slovaks With Righteous Among The Nations Title"
''Slovakia Today'', 28 January 2008.

References

External links

Blessed Pavol Gojdic
at CatholicSaints.info

at

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 ...

Blessed Pavel Peter Gojdic (1888–1960), martyr
at Catholicireland.net
Timeline of bl. Pavol Peter Gojdič, OSBM
(in Slovakian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gojdic, Pavel Peter 1888 births 1960 deaths People from Prešov District Catholic Church and minority language rights Rusyn people Slovak Eastern Catholics Order of Saint Basil the Great Slovak Greek Catholic bishops 20th-century Eastern Catholic bishops Slovak anti-fascists Catholic resistance to Nazi Germany Linguistic rights People convicted of treason against Czechoslovakia Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Czechoslovakia Slovak people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in Czechoslovak detention 20th-century Eastern Catholic martyrs 20th-century Roman Catholic martyrs Recipients of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Recipients of the Pribina Cross Slovak beatified people Eastern Catholic beatified people Beatifications by Pope John Paul II Eastern Catholic Righteous Among the Nations