- Zdzisław Peszkowski
Zdzisław Peszkowski (
August 23 1918 Sanok –October 8 2007 Warsaw ) was a PolishRoman Catholic priest and one of a small group ofPolish army officers who managed to survive the 1940 mass execution of over 20,000 Polish citizens byNKVD , theKatyn massacre . Peszkowski was a leadingadvocate andchaplain for theKatyn Families Association , which works with survivors of the Katyn massacre and their families. cite news |first=|last=|title=Katyn Families’ chaplain dies in Poland |url=http://www.thenews.pl/archives/1384-Katyn-Families-chaplain-dies-in-Poland.html |work=Thenews.pl |publisher= |date=2007-10-08 |accessdate=2007-10-09]Military
Peszkowski was born in
Sanok , in what is nowPoland . Peszkowski was living in Poland when theSoviet Union invaded the eastern half of the country in 1939. Together with other Polish officers located by the Soviets he was imprisoned and sent to aPOW camp inKozelsk . He was one of the few at the camp who were not executed by the Soviets. Peszkowski joined thePolish Home Army following his release from the camp.Priesthood
Peszkowski left the army following
World War II and was ordained aRoman Catholic priest. He became a leading advocate for the remembrance of the Katyn massacre and the murder ofPoles elsewhere in the country during the war. He also became a chaplain for Polish families of the Katyn massacres. He preached forgiveness for the perpetrators of Katyn. He called for forgiveness for those who killed Polish army officers during a speech atWarsaw's Unknown Soldiers' Grave in 1995.June 4 ,2007 was the last Katyn remembrance ceremony where Peszkowski took part. He laid acornerstone for a memorial at the cemetery for Polish army officers in Katyn. He told those gathered that he hoped the tragedies that happened to Poland during World War II would serve as a warning against hatred to the rest of the world.Zdzisław Peszkowski died in
Warsaw, Poland , at the age of 89. He remained a chaplain for the Katyn families until his death.External links
* [http://www.thenews.pl/archives/1384-Katyn-Families-chaplain-dies-in-Poland.html Thenews.pl: Katyn Families’ chaplain dies in Poland]
* [http://www.polskieradio.pl/zagranica/gb/dokument.aspx?iid=59828 Polish Radio: Fr. Peszkowski, legendary Katyn genocide survivor dies at 89]References
Persondata
NAME = Peszkowski, Zdzisław
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Zdzislaw Peszkowski
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Polish Army officer, Roman Catholic priest
DATE OF BIRTH =August 23 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH =Sanok ,Poland
DATE OF DEATH =October 8 2007
PLACE OF DEATH =Warsaw, Poland
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