Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz

Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz was born in Odelsk, Grodno District, Belarus, on 3 January 1946 to an ethnic Polish family,{{cite news | trans-title = The capitulation of the Vatican | title = Kapitulacja Watykanu | date=16 September 2007 | work = Wprost| language = pl | access-date = 1 September 2020 | url = https://www.wprost.pl/tygodnik/114022/Kapitulacja-Watykanu.html}} the elder of the two children of Ignacy Kondrusiewicz (1906–1985) and his wife Anna (née Szusta; 1911–1999). His sister was Maria Kondrusiewicz Buro (1949–1997). In 1962, after completing his secondary schooling, he studied at the Department of Physics and Mathematics at the Grodno Pedagogical Institute, a teachers' training college. He had to leave a year later because of his practice of Catholicism.

In 1964, he entered the Department of Energetics and Machinery Construction at the Leningrad Polytechnical Institute (now the Saint Petersburg Polytechnical University). He graduated in 1970, becoming a mechanical engineer. He worked in Vilnius, Lithuania, which was then part of the Soviet Union.

In 1976, aged 30, he entered Kaunas Priest Seminary and he was ordained a priest on 31 May 1981. He served as assistant curate in a number of parishes in Lithuania. On 13 February 1988, he was appointed parish priest of the parishes of Our Lady of Angels and St. Francis Xavier in Grodno, Belarus.

On 10 May 1989, Pope John Paul II appointed him Apostolic Administrator of Minsk, Belarus and Titular Bishop of Hippo Diarrhytus. On 20 October, he was consecrated bishop by John Paul at St. Peter's Basilica,{{cite web | url = http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/it/homilies/1989/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19891020_quattro-vescovi.html | language = it | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana | date= 20 October 1989 | access-date = 1 September 2020 | title = RITO DI ORDINAZIONE EPISCOPALE DI 4 NUOVI VESCOVI }} with Cardinals Edward Idris Cassidy and Francesco Colasuonno as co-consecrators. When in 1998 the Pope named two cardinals in pectore,The {{lang|la|in pectore}} cardinals were in John Paul's 2001 consistory revealed as Marian Jaworski and Jānis Pujāts. Margaret Hebblethwaite suspected Kondrusiewicz might have been one of them, saying that{{cquote|...[Kondrusiewicz'] appointment might upset the Orthodox{{cite book|title=The next pope: a behind-the-scenes look at how the successor to John Paul II will be elected and where he will lead the church|author-link1=Peter Hebblethwaite|last1=Hebblethwaite|first1=Peter|author-link2=Margaret Hebblethwaite|last2=Hebblethwaite|first2=Margaret|year=2000|pages=138-139|location=San Francisco|publisher=HarperSanFrancisco|isbn=0060637773}}

}} Other sources, though, never believed either of the {{lang|la|in pectore}} cardinals to be Kondrusiewicz,{{cite news|last=Tempest|first=Rone |title="Secret" Cardinals Likely in China, Vietnam|work=Los Angeles Times|date=January 20, 1998 |page=A6}} and in 2001 it would be revealed he was not one of them.

During his service as a bishop he founded the Senior Grodno Seminary, managed to return and reopening of about 100 churches in Belarus. He initiated the translation and publication of Catholic religious literature in the Belarusian language.{{cite web |title=The Wayback Machine has not archived that URL. |url=https://old.catholic.by/2/en/conference/bishops/43-kkbb/100066-kondrusievich-biogr.html |access-date=15 April 2023}}{{dead link|date=April 2023}}

On 13 April 1991, an Apostolic Administration was erected for Russia EuropeaEuropean part of Russia based in Moscow, and Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz was appointed to head it. In 1999, this Apostolic Administration was divided in two and he remained head of the northern one, Russia Europea Settentrionale. Finally, on 11 February 2002, the pope elevated his Apostolic Administrations and the others in Russia to dioceses united in an ecclesiastical province. The Apostolic Administration in Moscow became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Moscow, and Kondrusiewicz was named Archbishop.{{cite press release | access-date = 1 September 2020 | publisher = Holy See Press Office | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2002/02/11/0077/00227.html | title= Rinunce e Nomine, 11.02.2002| language = it | date = 11 February 2002}}

Between 1999 and 2005, Kondrusiewicz spent two three-year terms as chairman of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia. From 1994 to 1999, he was a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, and since 1996 of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050308015827/http://catholic.ru/n_rus/bish.html | archive-date= 8 March 2005 | title= Архиепископ Тадеуш Кондрусевич | trans-title= Archbishop Tadevush Kandrusievich | website= Catholic.ru |language= ru | url = http://catholic.ru/n_rus/bish.html | url-status= dead}}

Kondrusiewicz is seen by many{{who|date=November 2024}} as a moderate conservative, being hostile towards the traditionalist movement and the restoration of the Tridentine Mass, but at the same time disallowing or discouraging many of the excesses of theological and liturgical liberalism in his diocese.{{cn|date=November 2024}} He has been instrumental in the reestablishment of the Roman Catholic Church in Russia after the collapse of the Communist regime.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

On 21 September 2007, Kondrusiewicz was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Minsk-Mahilyow by Pope Benedict XVI.{{cite press release | access-date = 1 September 2020 | publisher = Holy See Press Office | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2007/09/21/0484/01304.html | title= Rinunce e Nomine, 21.09.2007 | language = it | date = 21 September 2007}}

On 30 June 2011, Kazimierz Świątek retired from his position as Apostolic Administrator of Pinsk, and Kondrusiewicz replaced him.{{cite press release | access-date = 1 September 2020 | publisher = Holy See Press Office | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2011/06/30/0410/01033.html | title= Rinunce e Nomine, 30.06.2011| language = it | date = 30 June 2011}}

During mass on 1 November 2017, Kondrusiewicz called the 1917 October Revolution in Russia an "existential disaster" that brought immense suffering to Belarus. He noted that, due to neo-Sovietism, Belarus still celebrates the revolution date as a public holiday, while the Catholic population do not have official day-offs on All Saints Day and Memorial Day to perform their rites.[https://belarusdigest.com/story/how-geopolitics-increases-the-heft-of-the-roman-catholic-church-in-belarus/ How geopolitics increases the heft of the Roman Catholic Church in Belarus]. 10 November 2017. BelarusDigest. Retrieved 3 December 2017.

On 31 August 2020, Kondrusiewicz was prevented from entering Belarus after visiting Poland, despite being a Belarusian citizen.{{cite news | access-date = 31 August 2020 | date= 31 August 2020| url = https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/45655/border-guards-stop-catholic-archbishop-from-returning-to-belarus | publisher = Catholic News Agency | title= Border guards stop Catholic archbishop from returning to Belarus }} Kondrusiewicz had told an interviewer that{{cquote|There is reason to believe that the [9 August 2020] election was dishonest.{{cite news | url = https://svabod1.azureedge.net/a/30812991.html |language= be | access-date = 1 September 2020 | title= Кандрусевіч у інтэрвію польскай тэлевізіі: "Ёсьць падставы меркаваць, што выбары праходзілі несумленна" | trans-title= Kondrusiewicz in an interview with Polish television: "There is reason to believe that the election was dishonest." |date= 31 August 2020 }}}} On 19 August he prayed at a prison that held people arrested for protesting that election{{cite news | access-date = 1 September 2020 | work = The Tablet | url = https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/13288/archbishop-stands-by-detained-belarus-protesters | title= Archbishop stands by detained Belarus protesters | date= 27 August 2020}} and on 21 August he met with the Interior Minister to lodge a protest against the government's response to the protests. He was finally allowed to return on 24 December.{{cite news | publisher = Catholic News Agency | access-date = 15 September 2021 | url = https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/46983/exiled-belarusian-archbishop-will-be-allowed-to-return-for-christmas | title = Exiled Belarusian archbishop will be allowed to return for Christmas | date = 23 December 2020 }}

Upon turning 75 on 3 January 2021, Kondrusiewicz tendered his resignation and Pope Francis accepted it immediately.{{Cite web|title=Eastern European Catholics dismayed by resignation of outspoken Belarus archbishop|url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/world/eastern-european-catholics-dismayed-resignation-outspoken-belarus-archbishop|access-date=23 July 2021|website=National Catholic Reporter|date=22 January 2021 }}{{cite press release | publisher = Holy See Press Office | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2021/01/03/0006/00009.html | access-date = 15 September 2021 | language = it | title = Rinunce e nomine, 03.01.2021 }}

He was awarded the Medal "In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg".

In March 2021, the Center for Belarusian Solidarity awarded Kondrusiewicz the Global Belarusian Solidarity Award in the category "With Faith in My Heart".{{cite web | url=https://belsat.eu/en/news/30-03-2021-belsat-wins-global-belarusian-solidarity-award/ | title=Belsat wins Global Belarusian Solidarity Award }}

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• {{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050308015827/http://catholic.ru/n_rus/bish.html | archive-date= 8 March 2005 | title= Архиепископ Тадеуш Кондрусевич | trans-title= Archbishop Tadevush Kandrusievich | website= Catholic.ru |language= ru | url = http://catholic.ru/n_rus/bish.html | url-status= dead }}
• {{cite web | url = https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bkond.html | website = Catholic Hierarchy | title = Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz}}

{{Catholic Church in Belarus}}

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Category:1946 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Grodno district

Category:21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Russia

Category:21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Belarus

Category:Belarusian people of Polish descent

Category:Belarusian anti-communists

Category:Belarusian dissidents

Category:Soviet people of Polish descent

Category:Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University alumni

Category:Belarusian Roman Catholic archbishops