Adam Stefan Sapieha facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Eminence Prince Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha
Archbishop of Kraków
Appointed	18 February 1946
Enthroned	18 February 1946
Reign ended	21 July 1951
Predecessor	Jan Puzyna de Kosielsko
Successor	Eugeniusz Baziak (apostolic administrator)
Other posts	Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria Nuova
Orders
Ordination	1 October 1893
Consecration	17 December 1911 by Pope Pius X
Created Cardinal	18 February 1946
Personal details
Birth name	Prince Adam Stefan Stanisław Bonfatiusz Józef Sapieha
Born	(1867-05-14)14 May 1867 Krasiczyn, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austrian Empire (now in Poland)
Died	21 July 1951(1951-07-21) (aged 84) Kraków, Poland
Nationality	Polish
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Parents	Adam Stanisław Sapieha-Kodenski Jadwiga Klementyna Sanguszko-Lubartowicza
Coat of arms

Adam Stefan Sapieha
Coat of arms	Lis coat of arms
Family	Sapieha

Styles of Prince Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha
Reference style	His Eminence
Spoken style	Your Eminence
Informal style	Cardinal
See	Kraków

Prince Adam Stefan Sapieha (born May 14, 1867 – died July 23, 1951) was an important Polish Catholic leader. He served as the Archbishop of Kraków from 1911 until his death in 1951. He was also a senator in the Second Polish Republic for a short time. In 1946, Pope Pius XII made him a Cardinal.

Early Life and Family

Adam Stefan Sapieha was born in 1867 at Krasiczyn Castle. This area was then part of the Austrian Empire. His family was part of the Polish nobility and originally came from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

• He was the youngest of seven children.
• His parents were Prince Adam Stanisław Sapieha-Kodenski and Princess Jadwiga Klementyna Sanguszko-Lubartowicza.
• His older brother, Prince Władysław Leon Sapieha, is the great-grandfather of Queen Mathilde of the Belgians.

Education and Becoming a Priest

After finishing school in Lwów in 1886, Adam Stefan Sapieha studied law at the University of Vienna. He also studied law in Paris. In 1887, he continued his studies at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. He returned to Vienna to finish his law studies in 1890.

• That same year, he began studying theology at the University of Innsbruck.
• He later studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
• He became a priest on October 1, 1893.
• He earned a doctorate in civil and church law in Rome.
• He also studied diplomacy at the Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles.

After returning to Poland in 1897, he became the vice-rector, and later rector, of the seminary in Lviv. He resigned because he disagreed with the teaching rules for young priests. In 1905, he was appointed a papal chamberlain. He then went to Rome to advise on matters concerning the Catholic Church in Poland.

Becoming a Bishop

Sapieha was appointed Bishop of Kraków on November 24, 1911. Pope Pius X made him a bishop in the Sistine Chapel on December 7, 1911. In 1915, he started a committee to help people affected by World War I.

After World War I, Sapieha disagreed with the new agreement between the Holy See and the newly independent Polish state. He believed the Polish Church should be fully independent. This led to a disagreement with Archbishop Achille Ratti, who later became pope.

• In 1922, Sapieha was elected a senator.
• He gave a speech after the assassination of Gabriel Narutowicz.
• He resigned from being a senator in 1923. This was because church rules at the time did not allow clergy to hold public office.

Sapieha became the Metropolitan Archbishop in 1925. This happened when the Diocese of Kraków became an Archdiocese. He received an honorary degree from the Jagiellonian University in 1926. In 1936, he was given the Order of the White Eagle. This is a very high Polish honor.

In 1937, Sapieha made a decision to move the body of Józef Piłsudski within Wawel Cathedral. Piłsudski was a famous Polish leader.

Before World War II, Sapieha asked Pope Pius XI to let him retire due to his age. The pope refused. He asked again in 1939, but he withdrew his request due to the coming war.

During World War II

During World War II, Sapieha was a key leader of the Polish church. This was especially true in areas taken over by Germany. He worked with the Polish government-in-exile to support Polish independence.

• He helped create the National Council of Welfare, which was a charity organization.
• In August 1944, he had to run the Polish seminary in secret.
• The Germans were killing seminary students when they found them.
• He moved his students, including the future Pope John Paul II, into the Bishop's Palace in Kraków. This allowed them to finish their training safely.

Sapieha was known for standing up to the German occupation.

• He refused to attend Hitler's birthday party in 1942. He said he would not be used for propaganda.
• When Governor Hans Frank demanded the keys to Wawel Castle, Sapieha famously replied: "But don't forget to give them back to me when you will be leaving Wawel."

Becoming a Cardinal

In March 1945, Sapieha started the publication of Tygodnik Powszechny, a Catholic weekly newspaper. He was made a Cardinal-Priest on February 18, 1946. His title was Santa Maria Nuova.

• On November 1, 1946, he ordained Karol Wojtyła as a priest. This happened in the chapel of his home.
• Sapieha knew Karol Wojtyła was meant to be a priest.
• Some people consider Cardinal Sapieha a mentor to Pope John Paul II.

In 1949, he suggested that Stefan Wyszyński should be called the Primate of Poland. The Primate is the highest-ranking bishop in a country.

In 1950, he wrote letters to the Polish president, Boleslaw Bierut. He protested against the government's actions against the church. Cardinal Sapieha died on July 23, 1951. His funeral on July 28 became a large public demonstration. He was buried in Wawel Cathedral.

Portrayal

In the 2005 TV show Pope John Paul II, Archbishop Sapieha was played by actor James Cromwell.

Images for kids

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  Cardinal Sapieha's coat of arms.

See also

In Spanish: Adam Stefan Sapieha para niños