John Cardinal Krol
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Styles of John Krol |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Philadelphia |
John Joseph Krol (October 26, 1910 - March 3, 1996) was an American priest of the diocese of Cleveland, Ohio who became an archbishop and cardinal of in the Roman Catholic Church of Philadelphia.
[edit] Biography
He was born to Polish parents in Cleveland, Ohio in 1910. He was ordained a priest at age 26 in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. He quickly rose through the ranks and was appointed auxiliary bishop of Cleveland at age 41. Krol served in Cleveland as a priest for 24 years and as a bishop for eight before moving to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In Philadelphia, the conservative cleric became a beloved figure. He was elevated to Cardinal in 1967 during the same consistory as Archbishop Karol Wojtyła of Kraków, Poland. Wojtyła would become Pope John Paul II and Krol one of his closest advisors. He was a cardinal elector for both Popes John Paul I and John Paul II in the two conclaves in 1978.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Krol shepherded the Archdiocese of Philadelphia through an era where the population shifted to the suburbs. Krol also campaigned for the canonization of St. Katharine Drexel, and was present at the canonization of Bavarian-born Bishop St. John Neumann.
In ill health, Krol resigned his position as Archbishop of Philadelphia on February 11, 1988, exactly 27 years after he was appointed to the post. He was the longest serving prelate in the history of the archdiocese. He was succeeded by Anthony Bevilacqua.
Krol is buried in the crypt beneath the Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia.
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 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 archdiocsian investigations, as well as external criminal investigations.
[edit] Episcopal Succession
| Episcopal Lineage | |
| Consecrated by: | Amleto Giovanni Cicognani |
| Date of consecration: | September 2, 1953 |
| Consecrator of | |
|---|---|
| Bishop | Date of consecration |
| Joseph Thomas Daley | January 7, 1964 |
| John Joseph Graham | January 7, 1964 |
| Alfred Michael Watson | June 29, 1965 |
| Giovanni Enrico Boccella | April 17, 1968 |
| Martin Nicholas Lohmuller | April 2, 1970 |
| Thomas Jerome Welsh | April 2, 1970 |
| James Steven Rausch | April 26, 1973 |
| Michael Bosco Duraisamy | June 10, 1974 |
| Edward Thomas Hughes | July 21, 1976 |
| Louis Anthony DeSimone | August 12, 1981 |
| Francis Bible Schulte | August 12, 1981 |
| John Patrick Foley | May 8, 1984 |
| Preceded by John O'Hara, C.S.C. |
Archbishop of Philadelphia 1961–1988 |
Succeeded by Anthony Bevilacqua |
| Preceded by John Dearden |
President of the United States Catholic Conference and National Conference of Catholic Bishops 1971–1974 |
Succeeded by Joseph Bernardin |
