Zenon Grocholewski

Zenon Grocholewski (11 October 1939 – 17 July 2020) was a Polish prelate of the Catholic Church, who was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2001.

Cardinal Grocholewski was also the papal envoy to the ceremonies marking the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas in Manila, the oldest university in Asia.

After studying at the archdiocesan seminary of Poznań, Grocholewski was ordained to the priesthood on 27 May 1963 by Archbishop Antoni Baraniak.

He joined the Roman Curia in 1972 and served from 1999 until 2015 as Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education and Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Zenon Grocholewski was born in Bródki to Stanisław and Józefa (née Stawińska) Grocholewski.

He joined the staff of the Apostolic Signatura in 1972.

Grocholewski taught at the Faculty of Canon Law of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (1975–1999) and at the Faculty of Canon Law of the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome (1980–1984).

On 21 December 1982 he was appointed titular bishop of Acropolis, and he received his episcopal consecration on the following 6 January from Pope John Paul II, with Archbishops Eduardo Martínez Somalo and Duraisamy Lourdusamy serving as co-consecrators.

He also gave lectures on Administrative Justice at the Studio Rotale of the Roman Rota (1986–1998).

The list of his publications ran to 550 entries.

He gave talks at conferences and conventions in various countries.

He was connected with a number of Canon Law associations, and with the editorial boards of some academic reviews and journals.

John Paul promoted Grocholewski to the rank of Archbishop on 16 December 1991.

The reasons for the reform, the cardinal explained, are "on the one hand, the shortcomings in philosophical formation at many ecclesiastical institutions, where precise points of reference are lacking especially as regards the subjects to be taught and the quality of teachers.... On the other hand there is the conviction – expressed in John Paul II's 1998 Encyclical Fides et ratio of the importance of the metaphysical component of philosophy, ... and the awareness that philosophy is indispensable for theological formation".

For this reason today's decree of the congregation aims to re-evaluate philosophy, above all in the light of that Encyclical, ... restoring the 'original vocation' of philosophy; i.e., the search for truth and its sapiental and metaphysical dimension".

On 15 November 1999, John Paul appointed him Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education.

That position made him ex officio Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Cardinal Grocholewski received more than 20 honorary Doctorates, the Grand Medal of San Gorazdo of the Ministry of Education of Slovakia (2000), the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (Chile) (2003), the Grand Cross of Merit with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2005), the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2009), and Commander of l’Ordre des Palmes académiques of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of France (2009).

Grocholewski was created Cardinal-Deacon of San Nicola in Carcere by John Paul II in the consistory of 21 January 2001.

Grocholewski automatically lost his curial position on 2 April 2005 upon the death of Pope John Paul.

He was confirmed in office by Pope Benedict XVI on 21 April.

He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.

On 21 February 2011, he opted for the order of Cardinal Priest, with his former diaconal church elevated to the level of cardinalitial title.

In March 2011 at a press conference to present the newly published Decree on the Reform of Ecclesiastical Studies of Philosophy, Cardinal Grocholewski explained how the normative documents concerning ecclesiastical studies comprehended John Paul II's 1979 Apostolic Constitution "Sapientia christiana" and its norms of application, issued in the same year by the Congregation for Catholic Education.

"Nonetheless", he said, "'Ecclesia semper est reformanda' in order to respond to the new demands of ecclesial life in changing historical-cultural circumstances and this also (perhaps especially) involves the academic world".

He participated in the 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis.

Grocholewski was a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Congregation for Bishops, the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, and the Special Council for Oceania of the Synod of Bishops.

On 31 March 2015, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi to succeed Grocholewski as Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education.

Zenon Grocholewski died on 17 July 2020 at the age of 80.