function

bishop

creed

Latin (Roman Catholic) Church RCmore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2014.09.21]

diocese / province

Culm (Chełmno) diocesemore on
pl.wikipedia.org
[access: 2012.11.23]
Gniezno and Poznań archdiocese (aeque principaliter)more on
www.archpoznan.pl
[access: 2012.11.23]

honorary titles

Papal chamberlainmore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2014.11.22]
Grand Cross of „Polonia Restituta”more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2019.04.16]
Commander's Cross with Star „Polonia Restituta”more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2019.04.16]
„Cross of Independence”more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2019.02.02]
Gold „Cross of Merit”more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2019.04.16]
Grand Officer of Order of the Southern Cross (Brasil)more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2020.10.18]
Doctor Honoris Causamore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2014.12.20] (Jagiellonian Universitymore on
pl.wikipedia.org
[access: 2015.04.18])

date and place
of death

01.05.1944

Lisbontoday: Lisbon dist., Portugal
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2024.03.19]

details of death

cause of death

exile

perpetrators

Germans

sites and events

Ribbentrop‐MolotovClick to display the description, Pius XI's encyclicalsClick to display the description, WronkiClick to display the description, Thomas Zan SocietiesClick to display the description

date and place
of birth

21.04.1870

Popowo Kościelnetoday: Mieścisko gm., Wągrowiec pov., Greater Poland voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.12.18]

alt. dates and places
of birth

Popowo Staretoday: Przemęt gm., Wolsztyn pov., Greater Poland voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.12.18]

presbyter (holy orders)
ordination

23.06.1895 (Gniezno cathedralmore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2014.11.14])

positions held

sites and events
descriptions

Ribbentrop‐Molotov: Genocidal Russian‐German alliance pact between Russian leader Joseph Stalin and German leader Adolf Hitler signed on 23.08.1939 in Moscow by respective foreign ministers, Mr. Vyacheslav Molotov for Russia and Joachim von Ribbentrop for Germany. The pact sanctioned and was the direct cause of joint Russian and German invasion of Poland and the outbreak of the World War II in 09.1939. In a political sense, the pact was an attempt to restore the status quo ante before 1914, with one exception, namely the „commercial” exchange of the so‐called „Kingdom of Poland”, which in 1914 was part of the Russian Empire, fore Eastern Galicia (today's western Ukraine), in 1914 belonging to the Austro‐Hungarian Empire. Galicia, including Lviv, was to be taken over by the Russians, the „Kingdom of Poland” — under the name of the General Governorate — Germany. The resultant „war was one of the greatest calamities and dramas of humanity in history, for two atheistic and anti‐Christian ideologies — national and international socialism — rejected God and His fifth Decalogue commandment: Thou shall not kill!” (Abp Stanislav Gądecki, 01.09.2019). The decisions taken — backed up by the betrayal of the formal allies of Poland, France and Germany, which on 12.09.1939, at a joint conference in Abbeville, decided not to provide aid to attacked Poland and not to take military action against Germany (a clear breach of treaty obligations with Poland) — were on 28.09.1939 slightly altered and made more precise when a treaty on „German‐Russian boundaries and friendship” was agreed by the same murderous signatories. One of its findings was establishment of spheres of influence in Central and Eastern Europe and in consequence IV partition of Poland. In one of its secret annexes agreed, that: „the Signatories will not tolerate on its respective territories any Polish propaganda that affects the territory of the other Side. On their respective territories they will suppress all such propaganda and inform each other of the measures taken to accomplish it”. The agreements resulted in a series of meeting between two genocidal organization representing both sides — German Gestapo and Russian NKVD when coordination of efforts to exterminate Polish intelligentsia and Polish leading classes (in Germany called «Intelligenzaktion», in Russia took the form of Katyń massacres) where discussed. Resulted in deaths of hundreds of thousands of Polish intelligentsia, including thousands of priests presented here, and tens of millions of ordinary people,. The results of this Russian‐German pact lasted till 1989 and are still in evidence even today. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2015.09.30])

Pius XI's encyclicals: Facing the creation of two totalitarian systems in Europe, which seemed to compete with each other, though there were more similarities than contradictions between them, Pope Pius XI issued in 03.1937 (within 5 days) two encyclicals. In the „Mit brennender Sorge” (Eng. „With Burning Concern”) published on 14.03.1938, condemned the national socialism prevailing in Germany. The Pope wrote: „Whoever, following the old Germanic‐pre‐Christian beliefs, puts various impersonal fate in the place of a personal God, denies the wisdom of God and Providence […], whoever exalts earthly values: race or nation, or state, or state system, representatives of state power or other fundamental values of human society, […] and makes them the highest standard of all values, including religious ones, and idolizes them, this one […] is far from true faith in God and from a worldview corresponding to such faith”. On 19.03.1937, published „Divini Redemptoris” (Eng. „Divine Redeemer”), in which criticized Russian communism, dialectical materialism and the class struggle theory. The Pope wrote: „Communism deprives man of freedom, and therefore the spiritual basis of all life norms. It deprives the human person of all his dignity and any moral support with which he could resist the onslaught of blind passions […] This is the new gospel that Bolshevik and godless communism preaches as a message of salvation and redemption of humanity”… Pius XI demanded that the established human law be subjected to the natural law of God , recommended the implementation of the ideal of a Christian state and society, and called on Catholics to resist. Two years later, National Socialist Germany and Communist Russia came together and started World War II. (more on: www.vatican.vaClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2023.05.28], www.vatican.vaClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2023.05.28])

Wronki: Penal prison in 1939‐1945 managed by the Germans — called Strafgefüngnis Wronki — for the prisoners sentenced to 6 months to 2 years incarceration, mainly Poles. Altogether up to 28,000 inmates were held there. After 1945 it was a jail for political prisoners, „enemies” of Russian‐Polish Commie‐Nazis. (more on: www.sw.gov.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.08.17], pl.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.08.17])

Thomas Zan Societies: Secret societies of Polish youth, aiming at self‐education, patriotic in form and content, functioning 1830‐1920, in mutiny against enforced Germanisation and censure of Polish culture, mainly in secondary schools — gymnasia — mainly in Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) and later in Silesia. The first groups were formed in 1817. In 1897 a congress in Bydgoszcz was held when rules of clandestine activities were formulated. At other congress in Bydgoszcz in Poznań a „Red Rose” society was formed, heading all others groups in various gymnasiums and coordinating their activities. In 1900 „Red Rose” consolidated Philomaths organizations from Pomerania as well. After Toruń trial of Pomeranian Philomaths in Toruń Germans arrested 24 members of Thomas Zan Society from Gniezno. 21 of them were sentenced up to 6 weeks in prison and reprimands. All were relegated from schools without the right to continue education in secondary and higher schools in Prussia. Despite repression the Societies existed till 1918 and rebirth of Poland. (more on: pl.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2021.12.19])

sources

personal:
www.wtg-gniazdo.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.08.10], www.niedziela.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.08.10], pl.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.08.10]
original images:
pl.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.11.18], audiovis.nac.gov.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.11.18], audiovis.nac.gov.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.11.18], audiovis.nac.gov.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.11.18], audiovis.nac.gov.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.11.18], www.myheritage.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.11.18], audiovis.nac.gov.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.11.18], historyczny.pelplin.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.11.18], commons.wikimedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.11.18], www.niedziela.diecezja.torun.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.08.10]