Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz
Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, Roman Catholic archbishop. Born January 3, 1946 in Odelsk near Grodno, Belarus (then - USSR) as Faddei (Tadeusz) Ignatievich Kondrusiewicz, in a pious family of Ingati Kondrusiewicz and his wife Anna (maiden name Anna Szusta), being the older of two children (his sister was Maria Buro, 1949-97). In 1962, after graduating the secondary school, entered the Department of Physics and Mathematics of the Grodno Pedagogical Institute (teachers' training college), which he had to leave a year later because of his Catholic practice. In 1964, entered the Department of Energetics and Machinery Construction Department of the Leningrad Polytechnical Institute, which he graduated in 1970, becoming a mechanic engineer. Worked in Vilnius, Lithuania (then - USSR). 1976 he entered the Kaunas Theological Seminary (Lithuania). Ordained priest on May 31, 1981. Served as vicary priest in a number of parishes in Lithuania. On February 13, 1988 appointed parish priest of the parishes of Our Lady of Angels and St. Francis Xavier in Grodno, Belarus. In 1989 Pope John Paul II appointed him Apostolic Administrator of Minsk, Belarus and Titular Bishop of Hippo Diarrhytus. On October 20 he was ordained bishop by the Pope at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, with Cardinals Edward Idris Cassidy and Francesco Colasuonno as co-concecrators. On April 13, 1991 two Apostolic Administrations were erected in Russian Federation: that of Russia Europea (European part of Russia) and of Siberia, Msgr. Kondrusiewicz being appointed to head the former and Msgr. Joseph Werth SJ to the latter. Moscow, the Russian capital, was chosen to the cathedral city for European Russia. In 1999 this Apostolic Administration was divided in two (Russia Europea Settentrionale in the north and Russia Europea Meridionale in the south, with Saratov as its cathedral city), Msgr. Kondrusiewicz remaining in Moscow. Finally, on February 11, 2002 the Pope elevated the Apostolic Administrations of Russia, being then four, to Dioceses united in a Metropolis. That of Moscow became now Diocese of Madre di Dio (Mother of God), and Msgr. Kondrusiewicz - Archbishop and Metropolitan. In 1999-2005 Msgr. Kondrusiewicz spent two three-year terms as the chairman of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia, being then succeeded by Msgr. Joseph Werth. In 1994-1999 he was a member of the Pontifical Congregation for Oriental Churches, and since 1996 - of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care (see Roman Curia). Msgr. Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz is seen by many as a moderate conservative, being hostile towards the traditionalist movement and the restoration of the Traditional Latin Mass, but at the same time disallowing or discouraging many of the excesses of modernism in his diocese. Without any doubt, he has been very instrumental in the reestablishment of Roman Catholic Church in Russia after the collapse of the Communist regime. External links: Biography of Msgr. Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz (in Russian) --Oleg-Michael Martynov 10:34, 30 Mar 2005 (UTC)
|
|
