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Ján Sokol (bishop)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ján Sokol (born 9 October 1933) is a Slovak archbishop and former Archbishop of Trnava and Bratislava.

His Excellency

Ján Sokol
Archbishop Emeritus of Trnava
ChurchRoman Catholic
ArchdioceseArchdiocese of Trnava
AppointedMay 19, 1988
InstalledJune 12, 1988
Term endedApril 18, 2009
SuccessorRóbert Bezák
Orders
OrdinationJune 23, 1957
ConsecrationJune 12, 1988
by Francesco Colasuonno
Personal details
Born (1933-10-09) October 9, 1933 (age 91)
Coat of armsJán Sokol's coat of arms
Styles of
Ján Sokol
Reference styleThe Most Reverend
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleMonsignor
Posthumous stylenot applicable

Life

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Sokol was born in Jacovce, Topoľčany District. He studied at a grammar school in Topoľčany and studied theology and philosophy in Bratislava, before being ordained as 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 Catholic seminary in Bratislava, before working again as a chaplain in Sereď in 1970–71, and was a dean there until 1975.

He was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Trnava in 1987, and appointed as a titular bishop of Luni in May 1988 and consecrated bishop in June 1988 in the St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Trnava. He became Archbishop of Trnava in 1989 and Archbishop of Bratislava and Trnava in 1995.

On 14 February 2008, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as the Archbishop of the newly reformed Archdiocese of Trnava, which remained an Archdiocesis despite no longer being metropolitan.[1] In accordance with the canon law, upon reaching 75 years of age, he requested to be released from his office. Pope Benedict XVI named Róbert Bezák as his successor on 18 April 2009.

Controversy

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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 president of Slovakia from 1939 to 1945. Tiso's government was responsible for the deportation of Jews from Slovakia.[2][3][4]

References

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