Ján Sokol

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Ján Sokol
Ján Sokol

Ján Sokol (born 9 October 1933 in Jacovce near Topoľčany) is a Slovak priest and currently Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Trnava.

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[edit] Life

He studied at a grammar school in Topoľčany and studies theology and philosophy in Bratislava, before being sanctified to a priest in 1957. He was subsequently a chaplain in Šurany (1957–58), Levice (1958–60), Bratislava-Nové Mesto (1960–66) and Štúrovo (1966–68). From 1968 to 1970 he was a prefect at a Roman Catholic seminary in Bratislava, before working again as a chaplain in Sereď in 1970–71, and was a dean there until 1975.

He was pronounced an Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Trnava (not to be confused with the present-day Archdiocese) in 1987, and appointed as a titular bishop of Luni in May 1988 and ordained bishop in June 1988 in the St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Trnava. He became Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Bratislava-Trnava in 1989.

On 14 February 2008, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as the Archbishop of the newly-created Archdiocese of Trnava, with a special privilege to wear pallium despite no longer being a metropolitan bishop.[1]

[edit] Controversy

Ján Sokol is listed as having cooperated with the former Communist Czechoslovak secret police, according to the documents from Ústav pamäti národa (ÚPN, Nation's Memory Institute), however, he denied any cooperation.[2] He is also criticized for praising Jozef Tiso, the leader of the WWII Slovak State.[2][3][4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ SME: Pribudli diecézy, Sokol ostal arcibiskupom (New dioceses, Sokol remains an archbishop) (Slovak)
  2. ^ a b Slovak Spectator: After 200 years, the Catholic Church gets a makeover
  3. ^ Slovak Spectator: Archbishop prays for Tiso
  4. ^ SME: Zväz židovských obcí vytkol Sokolovi, že obhajoval vojnový štát

[edit] External links

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