Edmund Szoka

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His Eminence
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Edmund Casimir Szoka (September 14, 1927 – August 20, 2014) was an American

cardinalate
in 1988.

Early life

Edmund Casimir Szoka was born in

priest at an early age, Szoka attended St. Joseph's Seminary in Grand Rapids,[1]
Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit for his junior and senior years, and then St. John's Provincial Seminary in Plymouth, Michigan to study theology.

Priesthood

On June 5, 1954, he was

curial work, including serving as an official of the matrimonial tribunal in Marquette until 1971. He was raised to the rank of Honorary Prelate of His Holiness
on November 14, 1963, by Pope Paul VI.

Episcopal ministry

Bishop of Gaylord

Szoka was appointed the first

John Francis Dearden, with Bishops Charles Salatka and Joseph McKinney serving as co-consecrators
. A year later, the Bishops of the 4th pastoral region of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) elected him president for the period of 1972-77. At the same time, he was treasurer and secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Michigan. As Bishop of Gaylord, Szoka improved the annulment consideration process, drawing from his experience in the matrimonial tribunal in Marquette.

Archbishop of Detroit

On March 21, 1981, he was promoted to be third Metropolitan Archbishop of Detroit (eighth bishop) by Pope John Paul II.[2] After 1981, he also served as president of the Administration Council for the provincial seminary of St. John in

The Catholic University of America, president of the Committee for University Relations, Administrator of the National Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception, treasurer of the NCCB, and served on committees within the Conference for: human values, bishops, dioceses and provinces, and economic affairs. He faced challenges of finance and enforcing Church discipline, and welcomed John Paul II to Detroit in 1987 during his tenure as Archbishop.[3]

In 1983, he dealt with the case of

Michigan Department of Community Health who worked to continue abortion services in Michigan. Szoka had given his permission for Mansour to serve the state but said she must oppose publicly funded abortion. Mansour believed abortion was tragic but should be legal, and she continued disbursing Medicaid abortion funds. Szoka appealed to Mansour's superiors in the Sisters of Mercy but the order supported her stance.[4] Szoka referred the case to the Vatican, and Bishop Anthony Bevilacqua resolved it by ordering Mansour to resign either her government post or her orders. Mansour left the sisterhood.[5]

He was created

Cardinal-Priest of Ss. Andrea e Gregorio al Monte Celio by John Paul II in the consistory of June 28, 1988.[2]

Rev. Joseph Gembela, pastor of St. Malachy's parish, noted that Szoka received a good deal of unjust criticism when he closed thirty churches in Detroit during 1989-90; many of which were sparsely attended. The first large-scale closing of Catholic churches in a major U.S. city, other dioceses with changing demographics have since followed suit.[3]

Roman Curia

Resigning as Archbishop of Detroit on April 28, 1990, Szoka had been named President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See on January 22, 1990,[2] and served as such to October 14, 1997. In this position, he helped manage the Vatican's financial affairs.[3]

On October 14, 1997, Cardinal Szoka was named President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, and on February 22, 2001, President of the

Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (congregations). He submitted his resignation to John Paul II in 2002, at the Church's mandatory retirement age of 75, but was requested to continue working. During his rare spare time, Szoka enjoyed walking through the Vatican Gardens.[6]

Szoka was one of the

2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI. As Governor of the Vatican, it fell to Szoka, along with Secretary of State Angelo Sodano and Camerlengo Eduardo Martínez Somalo, to prepare for the cardinal electors' housing at the Domus Sanctae Marthae
.

Retirement

It was announced on June 22, 2006, that his resignation had been accepted by Pope Benedict and that he would officially step down on September 15, 2006; he maintained all curial memberships until age 80. On what he would do after retirement, Szoka said he was interested in travel, writing, studying the Church Fathers, and continuing to provide priestly assistance to Detroit.[7] Cardinal Szoka had fond memories of Pope John Paul II, especially in regard to his travels to Poland and to the United States: Cardinal Szoka lived in Northville, Michigan.

Szoka died on August 20, 2014, of natural causes, at

Providence Park Hospital in Novi, Michigan.[8][9][10][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Detroit mourns loss of retired cardinal Edmund Szoka". Catholic News Agency. August 22, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Guiliani, Giancarlo (August 21, 2014). "Cardinal Szoka, former Detroit archbishop and Vatican official, dies". Catholic News Service. Archived from the original on September 2, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Montemurri, Patricia (August 21, 2014). "Detroit Catholic Cardinal Edmund Szoka dies at age 86". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  4. ^ "The Nun vs. the Archbishop". Time. March 21, 1983. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008.
  5. ^ "Obey or Leave". Time. May 23, 1983. Archived from the original on November 14, 2007.
  6. ^ "After 14 years away, Cd. Szoka still misses home". The Michigan Catholic. June 4, 2004.
  7. ^ Delaney, Robert (June 30, 2006). "Cd. Szoka looks to help local priests". The Michigan Catholic. Retrieved December 7, 2010. Cardinal Szoka said he would like to spend half of each year back in Detroit, where he was archbishop from 1981 to 1990, and half of it at the new apartment he will have within the 109-acre city state.
  8. ^ Vatican Radio. "Church mourns death of Cardinal Edmund Szoka". Official Vatican Network. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  9. ^ "Il cordoglio del Santo Padre per la morte del Cardinale Edmund Casimir Szoka, 22.08.2014" [The condolences of the Holy Father for the death of Cardinal Edmund Casimir Szoka, 22.08.2014] (in Latin and English). Holy See Press Office. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  10. ^ "Cardinal Szoka, former Detroit archbishop and Vatican official, dies". CNS News Briefs. Catholic News Service. August 22, 2014. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014.
  11. ^ "A life of faith: Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka, former Detroit archbishop, dies at 86". The Michigan Catholic. August 21, 2014. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014.

Sources


Catholic Church titles
New title
New Position Created
President of the Governorate of Vatican City State

1997–2006 		Succeeded by
Vacant
Title last held by
Rosalio José Castillo Lara
President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State

2001–2006
Preceded by President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See
1990–1997 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
John Francis Dearden
 Archbishop of Detroit
1981–1990 		Succeeded by
New title
Diocese erected
 Bishop of Gaylord
1971–1981 		Succeeded by
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