Ján Sokol (bishop)

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

Life

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 Roman Catholic seminary in Bratislava, before working again as a chaplain in Sereď in 1970–71, and was a dean there until 1975.

He was pronounced an Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Trnava (not to be confused with the present-day Archdiocese) in 1987, and appointed as a titular bishop of Luni in May 1988 and ordained bishop in June 1988 in the St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Trnava. He became Archbishop of Bratislava-Trnava in 1989.

On 14 February 2008, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as the Archbishop of the newly created 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

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
  1. SME: Pribudli diecézy, Sokol ostal arcibiskupom (New dioceses, Sokol remains an archbishop) (Slovak)
  2. Slovak Spectator: After 200 years, the Catholic Church gets a makeover
  3. Slovak Spectator: Archbishop prays for Tiso
  4. SME: Zväz židovských obcí vytkol Sokolovi, že obhajoval vojnový štát
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