Tadeusz Wojda

The Most Reverend Tadeusz Wojda S.A.C.
Archbishop of Gdańsk
Wojda pictured in May 2019.
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Białystok
Appointed	2 March 2021
Installed	28 March 2021
Predecessor	Edward Ozorowski
Previous post(s)	Undersecretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (2012-2017) Archbishop of Białystok (2017-2021)
Orders
Ordination	8 May 1983 by Władysław Miziołek
Consecration	10 June 2017 by Fernando Filoni
Personal details
Born	(1957-01-29) 29 January 1957 (age 67) Kowala, Kielce County, Poland
Alma mater	Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University Pontifical Gregorian University
Motto	Oportet praedicari evangelium (English: That the Gospel may be proclaimed)
Coat of arms

Tadeusz Wojda (born 29 January 1957) is a Polish prelate of the Catholic Church. He was archbishop of Białystok from 10 June 2017 until 2 March 2021, when he was named Archbishop of Gdansk. Since 14 March 2024, he is president of the Polish Episcopal Conference.

Biography

Born on 29 January 1957 in Kowala, Kielce County, Wojda entered the Pallottines in 1976 and was ordained a priest on 8 May 1983. He received a Licentiate from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1986, and a PhD in 1989. From 1991, he served in a variety of roles in Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.[1] He was appointed the Congregation's under-secretary on 24 July 2012.[2]

On 12 April 2017, Pope Francis named him Archbishop of Białystok.[1] and he was installed there on 10 June 2017.[3]

Within the Episcopal Conference of Poland, he is a member of the Mission Committee and the Concordat Commission.[4]

On 7 July 2019, ahead of the LGBT march scheduled to take place on 20 July, Wojda issued a non possumus proclamation to be read in all churches in Białystok and the entire Podlaskie Voivodeship. He called pride marches "blasphemy against God". He described the march as organized "by a foreign initiative in Podlaskie land and community, an area which is deeply rooted in Christianity and concerned about the good of its own society, especially children".[5][6][7][8][9] Following the march, Wojda condemned the violence that occurred at the march as incompatible with Christianity and urged believers to pray for "the family and its internal purity".[10]

On 2 March 2021, he was appointed archbishop of Gdańsk.[11] He was formally installed as Archbishop on 28 March 2021.

References

1. "Resignations and Appointments, 12.04.2017" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
2. "Rinunce e Nomine, 24.07.2012" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
3. "Ksiądz Arcybiskup dr Tadeusz Wojda" [Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, Ph.D.]. Archdiocese of Białystok (in Polish). Retrieved 23 August 2019.
4. "Arcybiskup Tadeusz Wojda SAC". Episcopal Conference of Poland (in Polish). Retrieved 23 August 2019.
5. "Odezwa Abp. Tadeusza Wojdy ws. marszu LGBT w Białymstoku" [Appeal from Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda on the LGBT march in Bialystok]. Archdiocese of Białystok (in Polish). 7 July 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
6. "Anti-Gay Brutality in a Polish Town Blamed on Poisonous Propaganda". New York Times. 27 July 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
7. Rogowska, Gabriela (8 August 2019). "The Rainbow on Fire". Visegrad Insight.
8. Leociak, Jacek (2019). "Non serviam". Więź. LXII (677): 139–150.
9. Herbert, David (2019). "RELIGION AND THE DYNAMICS OF RIGHT WING POPULISM IN POLAND: Impacts, Causes, Prospects". Religion & Society in Central & Eastern Europe. 12 (1): 31. doi:10.20413/rascee.2019.12.1.23-37.
10. Dehnel, Jacek (28 July 2019). "The struggle for LGBT equality: Pride meets prejudice in Poland". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
11. "Resignations and Appointments, 02.03.2021" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.

External links