Ján Orosch has officially become the new archbishop in Trnava after he was inaugurated by Bratislava Archbishop Stanislav Zvolenský. Several supporters of Orosch’s predecessor Robert Bezák, who was dismissed last year, expressed their objection to the inauguration, the SITA newswire reported on August 30.
Orosch was appointed to the post on July 11 after he was chosen by Pope Francis, who said it was the best decision given that Orosch is familiar with the local conditions. The pope also called on believers to support the new archbishop, as reported by SITA.
Orosch was born in Bratislava in 1953, and after a career as a parish priest in several small villages and later in Bratislava and Štúrovo, he was consecrated as a bishop in May 2004.
During the ceremony several supporters of Bezák stood in front of the church where the inauguration took place, saying that they still consider Bezák their archbishop, SITA wrote.
Bezák was appointed Trnava’s archbishop in April 2009. This came as a surprise to many, especially because he was not even 50 years old at the time, and he thus became the youngest bishop in Slovakia.
He came into the post after Ján Sokol left when he reached the age of 75, in accordance with Church tradition. Sokol has been criticised repeatedly for praising the wartime Nazi satellite Slovak state and for his alleged murky handling of the archdiocese’s finances. Shortly after replacing him, Bezák introduced numerous changes in the diocese and claimed to be trying to open the Church up to more people. The Night of Churches, an event that has survived even after his dismissal, was one of his ideas.
Bezák became quite popular among the public. He used to appear at cultural events and concerts, and was often seen in casual attire. This, too, was among the reservations voiced against him by the Vatican after a visit from the Holy See, which eventually led to his dismissal.
He was officially removed as archbishop on July 2, 2012 upon publication of an announcement in L’Osservatore Romano, the official daily newspaper of the Vatican. The Conference of Slovak Bishops (KBS) followed with a short statement: “Based on an apostolic visitation which took place between January 22 and February 1, 2012, the Holy Father recalled Róbert Bezák from pastoral management of the Trnava Archdiocese. We accept the decision of the Holy Father in the spirit of faith and filial obedience and we are asking for blessings for the church in Slovakia.”
Source: SITA
For more information about this story please see: Trnava gets new archbishop
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
