Antoni Stankiewicz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Styles of Antoni Stankiewicz
Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop
Posthumous style	none

Antoni Stankiewicz (born October 1, 1935 – died January 4, 2021) was a Polish Roman Catholic Bishop. He was also a top judge for the Catholic Church, serving as the Dean (head) of the Roman Rota, which is a special court.

He was born in a place called Oleszczenice, near a city named Wilno in Poland. This area is now part of Lithuania. When he was 23 years old, on December 20, 1958, he became a Catholic priest.

In 2004, Pope John Paul II chose him to lead the Roman Rota. This court is part of the Roman Curia, which is like the main government of the Catholic Church. Later, in 2006, he became a bishop. He was ordained by Tarcisio Bertone, a very important Cardinal.

What Was the Roman Rota?

The Roman Rota is a high court within the Catholic Church. It acts like an appeals court. This means it looks at decisions made by lower courts.

What Cases Did It Handle?

The Roman Rota mostly deals with cases about marriage annulment. An annulment is when the Church decides that a marriage was never valid in the first place, according to its rules. The court also handled other types of cases that were not about administration.

Later Life and Retirement

When Bishop Stankiewicz turned 75 in 2010, he offered his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI. It is a tradition for bishops to offer their resignation at this age. His resignation was accepted on September 22, 2012. After he retired, Pio Vito Pinto took over his role as the head of the Roman Rota. Bishop Stankiewicz passed away in Rome when he was 85 years old.

See also

In Spanish: Antoni Stankiewicz para niños