Stanisław Stefanek (7 May 1936 – 17 January 2020) was a Polish prelate of the Catholic Church.
Life and ministry
Born in the village of Majdan Sobieszczański, Stefanek was ordained to the priesthood on 28 June 1959.[1]
He became vicar general of the Society of Christ.[2] He was named an auxiliary bishop of Szczecin-Kamień and titular bishop of Forum Popilii in 1980.[2]
Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Łomża on 26 October 1996.[3] He became embroiled in the controversy of the Jedwabne pogrom from the early 2000, encouraging an apologetic position towards the Polish role in the massacres.[4]
Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation and named Janusz Stepnowski to succeed him on 11 November 2011.[5]
Stefanek died on 17 January 2020 in Lublin at the age of 83,[1] and he was buried in the Łomża cathedral on 23 January.[6]
References
- 1.[1.2]"W lubelskim szpitalu zmarł biskup Stanisław Stefanek". Kurier Lubelski (in Polish). 18 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- 2.[2.2]Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXII. 1980. p. 758.
- 3.Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXXVIII. 1996. p. 899.
- 4.Polonsky, Antony; Michlic, Joanna Beata (2009). The Neighbors Respond: The Controversy over the Jedwabne Massacre in Poland. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-11306-7.
- 5."Rinunce e Nomine, 11.11.20011" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- 6.[1] Uroczystości pogrzebowe śp. bp. Stanisława Stefanka. Zostanie pochowany w katedrze, Gazeta Współczesna