Poland: Retired bishop dies of Covid

Bishop Bogdan Wojtus

Source: Polish Catholic Bishops Conference

The funeral of Bishop Bogdan Wojtus took place in Gniezno Cathedral, central Poland yesterday, 24 October. Bishop Wojtus, 83, died in hospital on Tuesday after testing positive for the virus. He was laid to rest in a crypt alongside other auxiliary bishops in the church at St Peter's Cemetery in Gniezno, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Gniezno.

Bishop Wojtuś was made auxiliary bishop by St Pope John Paul II in 1993. He served until 2012, until his retirement at 75.

In his tribute, Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, chairman of the Polish Episcopal Conference wrote: "A man of great spirit, unwavering faith and deep love for the Church is gone.. On behalf of the Polish Bishops' Conference, express my sympathy to the family, relatives, priests and all the faithful for whom the life and service of the deceased was important and close."

Archbishop Gadecki noted in his condolences, that Bishop Bogdan Wojtus was a co-consecrator during his episcopal ordination. He also mentioned his collaboration with him, first at the Primate's Major Seminary in Gniezno, and later as an auxiliary bishop of Gniezno Archdiocese.

"He devoted his whole life to the service of Christ as a priest, student of the Catholic University of Lublin, vicar, employee of the Gniezno curia, lecturer and rector of the Primate and Primate's Theological Institute in Gniezno and the Primate's Institute of Christian Culture in Bydgoszcz, and finally, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Gniezno," he wrote.

Archbishop Stanisław Gadecki also expressed his gratitude to God for his work within the Polish Bishops' Conference -for the Commission for the Pastoral Care of the Family, the Commission for Clergy Seminaries and the Clergy Commission.

"To God, rich in mercy, I entrust the life of the late Bishop Bogdan, asking for the glory of the saved for him, " Bishop Galecki concluded. A number of Polish bishops have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks amid a surge in cases in Poland, among them Archbishop Gądecki, who hadonly had mild symptoms.

At least 13 other Catholic bishops worldwide have died from the coronavirus. They include Archbishop Oscar Cruz, former president of the Philippines bishops' conference, Brazilian Bishop Henrique Soares da Costa, English Bishop Vincent Malone and Italian Bishop Giovanni D'Alise of Caserta.

LINK

Polish Catholic Bishops Conference - https://episkopat.pl/