John Krol

infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=John Cardinal Krol
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
relstyle=Cardinal
deathstyle=not applicable
See=Philadelphia (Emeritus)

John Joseph Cardinal Krol, JCL (October 26, 1910—March 3, 1996) was a Polish-American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1961 to 1988, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1967.

Biography

He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Polish immigrants John and Anna (née Pietruzka) Krol. Originally working as a food-store manager, Krol focused on a life in religion when questioned by a Lutheran co-worker. After studying at St. Mary's College in Michigan and St. Mary's Seminary in Cleveland, he was ordained a priest by Bishop Joseph Schrembs of Cleveland on February 20, 1937. Krol, following a year's pasotral work, attended the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where in 1940 he received a license in canon law. He earned his doctorate in canon law in 1942 from The Catholic University of America, and served as Canon Law professor at Cleveland's St. Mary's Seminary until December 1943.

He quickly rose through the ranks—Vice-Chancellor (1943-1951) and Chancellor (1951-1954) of Cleveland, and Monsignor (July 19, 1945)—and was appointed auxiliary bishop of Cleveland and Titular Bishop of "Cardi" by Pope Pius XII on July 11, 1953. Krol received his episcopal consecration on the following September 2 from Archbishop Amleto Cicognani, with Bishops Edward Hoban and Floyd Begin serving as co-consecrators. He served as a bishop in Cleveland for eight years before being named the Archbishop of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, where the cleric became a beloved figure, on February 11, 1961.

Krol attended the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), and like the future Pope Benedict XVI [The Holy See. [http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2005/december/documents/hf_ben_xvi_spe_20051222_roman-curia_en.html Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the Roman Curia, Offering Them His Greetings] December 22, 2005] , he later differentiated from the true meaning of the Council and its interpretation [Time Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,877464,00.html The Krol Era] November 29, 1971] . Like Pope Paul VI, he was more liberal in areas of social principles but sternly conservative in those of doctrine and Church government. He condemned arms races and abortion, but supported clerical celibacy and disarmament [Ibid.] [Time Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,955097,00.html Bishops and the Bomb] November 29, 1982] .

He was created Cardinal Priest of "S. Maria della Mercede e Sant'Adriano a Villa Albani" by Paul VI on June 26, 1967, during the same consistory which elevated Archbishop Karol Wojtyła of Kraków, Poland. Both were cardinal electors in the conclaves of August and October 1978. Wojtyła became Pope John Paul II in the latter conclave, and Krol served as one of his closest advisors.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Krol governed the Archdiocese of Philadelphia through an era where the population shifted to the suburbs. Krol also campaigned for the canonization of Katharine Drexel, and was present at the canonization of his Bavarian-born predecessor in Philadelphia, Bishop John Neumann. He made a celebrated pilgrimage to Poland in 1972 [Time Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,906661-1,00.html Pilgrim in Poland] October 30, 1972] , and served as President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from 1971 to 1974.

Krol was hospitalized in 1987 for treatment of diverticulosis [Time Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,964446,00.html Milestones] May 25, 1987] . Due to his ill health, he resigned as Archbishop of Philadelphia on February 11, 1988, exactly 27 years after he was appointed to the post. He was the longest serving ordinary in the history of the archdiocese, and was succeeded by Bishop Anthony Bevilacqua.

Krol died in Philadelphia at age 85, and is buried in the crypt beneath the Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul.

On September 21, 2005, nearly 10 years after his death, a grand jury in Philadelphia announced that Cardinal Krol, as well as Cardinal Bevilacqua, were involved with the cover-up of a sex scandal against accused priests throughout the archdiocese. Like the sex scandals in the Archdiocese of Boston, Krol and Bevilacqua transferred accused priests to other parishes throughout the archdiocese, a practice under the current prelate, Justin Cardinal Rigali, banned in favor of defrocking those who are accused and confirmed by investigations. Cardinal Rigali, in cooperation with Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham and other DAs throughout the jurisdiction of the archdiocese, has now started practicing of both internal archdiocesan investigations, as well as external criminal investigations.

Trivia

*He could speak 11 languages [Time Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,877464,00.html The Krol Era] November 29, 1971] .

Episcopal Succession

Episcopal_Succession
date of consecration=September 2 1953
consecrated by=Amleto Giovanni Cicognani
bishopconsecrated1 = bishopconsecrated1
bishop 1=Joseph Thomas Daley
consecration date 1=January 7 1964
bishopconsecrated2 = bishopconsecrated2
bishop 2=John Joseph Graham
consecration date 2=January 7 1964
bishopconsecrated3 = bishopconsecrated3
bishop 3=Alfred Michael Watson
consecration date 3=June 29 1965
bishopconsecrated4 = bishopconsecrated4
bishop 4=Giovanni Enrico Boccella
consecration date 4=April 17 1968
bishopconsecrated5 = bishopconsecrated5
bishop 5=Martin Nicholas Lohmuller
consecration date 5=April 2 1970
bishopconsecrated6 = bishopconsecrated6
bishop 6=Thomas Jerome Welsh
consecration date 6=April 2 1970
bishopconsecrated7 = bishopconsecrated7
bishop 7=James Steven Rausch
consecration date 7=April 26 1973
bishopconsecrated8 = bishopconsecrated8
bishop 8=Michael Bosco Duraisamy
consecration date 8=June 10 1974
bishopconsecrated9 = bishopconsecrated9
bishop 9=Edward Thomas Hughes
consecration date 9=July 21 1976
bishopconsecrated10 = bishopconsecrated10
bishop 10=Louis Anthony DeSimone
consecration date 10=August 12 1981
bishopconsecrated11 = bishopconsecrated11
bishop 11=Francis Bible Schulte
consecration date 11=August 12 1981
bishopconsecrated12 = bishopconsecrated12
bishop 12=John Patrick Foley
consecration date 12=May 8 1984
bishopconsecrated13 = null
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References

External links

* [http://www.polishamericancenter.org/Krol.htm Polish American Center: John Cardinal Krol]
* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios-k.htm#Krol Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church profile]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bkrol.html Catholic-Hierarchy profile]