KRAKOW, Poland (LifeSiteNews) — Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś has been named as the new archbishop of Krakow, Poland, once the seat of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II.
On November 26, the Vatican announced Pope Leo XIV’s appointment of 61-year-old Ryś as the new metropolitan archbishop of Kraków, succeeding Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski who resigned earlier this year.
“The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the metropolitan archdiocese of Kraków, presented by Bishop Marek Jędraszewski,” the Vatican announcement read.
“The Holy Father has appointed His Eminence Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś as metropolitan archbishop of Kraków, transferring him from the metropolitan see of Łódź,” it continued.
Ryś was appointed cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023 and was also made member of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
In an interview following his acceptance of the position, Ryś attributed his understanding of the Catholic Church to Pope Francis, saying that he “discovered that I had learned everything I believe in about the Church from him.”
“And that I don’t want another Church, that I simply don’t want, I can’t imagine any other Church than the one Francis taught us,” he continued. “I don’t want another Church. I don’t want a Church that isn’t missionary. I don’t want a Church that isn’t merciful. I don’t want a Church that isn’t open, that isn’t in dialogue. I don’t want another Church. He taught me how to understand the Church.”
Ryś’s position on liturgy remains unclear. During his time as archbishop of Lodz he permitted the continuation of Latin Mass celebrations despite Traditionis Custodes. His archdiocese hosted around 12 sites where the traditional rite was offered regularly.
At the same time, according to his profile on the College of Cardinals Report, in 2021, Ryś caused uproar among Catholics when he changed the liturgy during an open-air youth event called the “Arena of Youth ‘Reset,’” part of the broader Congress of New Evangelization.
Instead of the standard penitential rite of repeating “Lord, have mercy” three times, he invited participants to confess their sins aloud or privately. Additionally, he incorporated youth-submitted intentions at the “collect” prayer.
“If Cardinal Ryś were to become Pope, he would likely devote most of his energies to his key interests of interreligious dialogue and ecumenism, minimizing the differences between Protestants and Catholics, and strongly emphasizing relations with the Jews,” the College of Cardinals Report stated.
