Archdiocese of Cracow

Area: 5,730 km2. Population: 1.6 million residents (including 1.56 million Catholics). In 414 parishes there are over 2000 priests and nearly 3,000 religious sisters. Web page: www.diocese.pl.

One of the oldest dioceses in Poland. Set up in 1000, it became an archdiocese and the seat of a metropolis only in 1925. Its stewards included 12 cardinals, 1 saint (Stanislaus of Szczepanów, 1030-79), 1 blessed (Wincenty Kadłubek, 1161-1223), and 1 servant of God (Karol Wojtyła, 1920-2005, the only Polish bishop to become Pope). Five other bishops were objects of local cult but it was not confirmed by the Holy See. Since 2005 Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz (b. 1939) has been the Archbishop Metropolitan of Cracow; the auxiliary bishops are: Jan Szkodoń (b. 1946), Jan Zając (b. 1939), and Józef Guzdek (b. 1956). There are also two retired bishops: Stanisław Smoleński (b. 1915) and Albin Małysiak (b. 1917), the only Polish bishop to receive the Righteous Among the Nations title for saving Jews during World War II. For the first time ever there are three cardinals in Cracow: Stanisław Dziwisz, Franciszek Macharski (b. 1927, retired Metropolitan of Cracow), and Stanisław Nagy (b. 1921, theologian, professor emeritus of the Catholic University of Lublin). John Paul II visited the Archdiocese of Cracow seven times, in 1979, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1997, 1999, and 2002.

pb, KAI