Archbishop Ignacy Tokarczuk, 90 years old today, one of Poland’s most prominent churchmen, was ordained a priest in 1942.
During World War II he was involved in organizing help for the Jews. During the communist period, as a bishop in Przemyśl, south-eastern Poland, he made a name for himself as an outspoken critic of the regime and a supporter of the opposition and the Solidarity movement.
Despite a lack of official permission from the authorities, over 400 churches were built in his diocese from the mid-1960s onwards.
Archbishop Tokarczuk remained for many years under strict surveillance by the communist secret services. Several years ago, he received the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state distinction.