Cardinals are senior ecclesiastical leaders of the Catholic Church, almost always ordained bishops and generally holding important roles within the church, such as governing prominent archdioceses or managing dicasteries within the Roman Curia. They are created in consistories by the pope and one of their foremost duties is the election of a new pope (invariably from among themselves, although not a formal requirement) when the Holy See is vacant, following the death or the resignation of the reigning pontiff. The body of all cardinals is collectively known as the College of Cardinals. [1] [2]
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This list includes all ethnic Poles, living and deceased, who were raised to the rank of cardinal, including those who were born or carried out their pastoral services outside Poland, such as Cardinal Kazimierz Świątek who was born in Estonia and worked as a bishop in Belarus. People of other ethnic origins who were naturalized in Poland, such as the 17th-century Hungarian-born Cardinal Báthory Endre, are not included.
Three of the Polish cardinals, namely Fryderyk Jagiellończyk, Jan Olbracht Waza and Jan Kazimierz Waza, were of royal blood. The latter was elected king of Poland after he had renounced his cardinalate. Karol Wojtyła was the only Polish cardinal to be elected pope. As Pope John Paul II, he elevated ten of his compatriots to cardinalate, the largest number of Polish cardinals created by a single pope.
Roughly one out of two Polish cardinals was a bishop of one of Poland's historically two most important episcopal sees: Gniezno, the capital city of Poland until 1034, and Kraków, Poland's capital from 1038 to 1596. All bishops of Kraków between 1890 and 2016, as well as all primates of Poland (an honorific title traditionally bestowed on the archbishop of Gniezno) between 1919 and 2009, were cardinals.
Cardinals are sorted in chronological order by date of elevation to cardinalate, indicated in the Elevated column. Cardinals elevated during the same century are marked by the same color on the bar on the left-hand side of the table. The date of elevation is the date of the consistory during which a given person was officially proclaimed cardinal by the pope. In some cases, especially in former times, a cardinal may have received the red hat after the consistory or never. Those, whose elevation was intended by a pope, but died before the consistory, as well as pseudocardinals elevated by antipopes, are listed in italics.
Two of the cardinals listed here, Jan Olbracht Waza and Marian Jaworski, were elevated in pectore , which means that their names were kept secret by the pope and revealed only on later consistories. In these cases, the date of elevation is the date of the in pectore elevation, not the date of the subsequent publication.
Cardinals are technically deacons or priests of Roman churches known as tituli . Their ranks (cardinal deacon or cardinal priest; there have been no cardinal bishops of Polish origin) and titular churches are indicated in the Cardinal title column. The "Other titles" column shows other, especially episcopal, titles held by the given person during his cardinalate.
The Conclaves column lists all conclaves, that is papal elections, that took place during a person's cardinalate and indicates whether he participated in a given conclave or not. Since Ingravescentem aetatem in 1970, cardinals who are 80 years or older at the beginning of a conclave are ineligible to participate. [3]
The Ref. column provides links to external online references.
| Name | Born | Elevated | Cardinal title | Other titles | Conclaves | Died | Notes | Ref. | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zbigniew Oleśnicki | Sienno, 5 December 1389 | 18 December 1439 by Pope Eugene IV | Cardinal Priest of S. Prisca | Bishop of Kraków | 1447 – absent | Sandomierz, 1 April 1455 | Also created pseudocardinal by Antipope Felix V in 1440, whose nomination Oleśnicki declined. Pope Nicholas V confirmed Eugene's nomination and sent Oleśnicki his red hat in 1449. | Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). . Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company. Miranda |  | |
| Alexander of Masovia | Płock, 1400 | 2 October 1440 by Antipope Felix V | Cardinal Priest of S. Lorenzo in Damaso | Bishop of Trent | None | Vienna, Austria 2 June 1444 | Pseudocardinal | Miranda |  | |
| Wincenty Kot | Dębno, ca.1395 | 6 April 1444 by Antipope Felix V | Cardinal Priest of S. Crisogono | Archbishop of Gniezno | None | Gniezno, 14 April 1448 | Pseudocardinal; resigned the pseudocardinalate on 2 October 1447. Applied for recognition of his promotion from Pope Nicholas V, but died before obtaining it. | Miranda |  | |
| Fryderyk Jagiellończyk | Kraków, 27 April 1468 | 20 September 1493 by Pope Alexander VI | Cardinal Priest of S. Lucia in Septisolio | Archbishop of Gniezno, Bishop of Kraków | None | Kraków, 14 March 1503 | Son of King Casimir IV of Poland, brother of Saint Casimir | Miranda |  | |
| Stanisław Hozjusz | Kraków, 5 May 1504 | 26 February 1561 by Pope Pius IV | Cardinal Priest of S. Lorenzo in Panisperna | Bishop of Ermland | 1565 – absent; 1572 – participated | Capranica, Italy, 5 August 1579 | "Stanislaus Hosius". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Jerzy Radziwiłł | Wilno (now Vilnius, Lithuania), 31 May 1556 | 12 December 1583 by Pope Gregory XIII | Cardinal Priest of S. Sisto | Bishop of Wilno until 1591, later Bishop of Kraków | 1585, Sep 1590, Oct 1590 – absent; 1591, 1592 – participated | Rome, Italy, 21 January 1600 | "Jerzy Radziwiłł". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Bernard Maciejowski | 1548 | 9 June 1604 by Pope Clement VIII | Cardinal Priest of S. Giovanni a Porta Latina | Bishop of Kraków until 1606, later Archbishop of Gniezno | Mar 1605, May 1605 – absent | Kraków, 19 January 1608 | "Bernard Maciejowski". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Jan Olbracht Waza | Kraków, 25 May 1612 | 19 November 1629 in pectore by Pope Urban VIII | Cardinal Deacon of S. Maria in Aquiro | Bishop of Kraków | None | Padua, Italy, 29 December 1634 | Son of King Sigismund III of Poland. Elevated in pectore, announced on 20 December 1632. | "Jan Olbracht Waza". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| Jan Kazimierz Waza | Kraków, 22 May 1609 | 28 May 1646 by Pope Innocent X | (Never received the red hat and the title) | None | None | Nevers, France, 16 December 1672 | Son of King Sigismund III of Poland. Resigned the cardinalate in 1647, resignation accepted by the pope on 6 July 1648. King of Poland 1648–1668. | Miranda |  | |
| Michał Radziejowski | Poznań, 3 December 1645 | 2 September 1686 by Pope Innocent XI | Cardinal Priest of S. Maria della Pace | Bishop of Ermland until 1688, later Archbishop of Gniezno | 1689, 1691, 1700 – absent | Gdańsk, 11 October 1705 | "Michał Radziejowski". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Jan Kazimierz Denhoff | Warsaw, 8 June 1649 | 2 September 1686 by Pope Innocent XI | Cardinal Priest of S. Giovanni a Porta Latina | Bishop of Cesena, Italy; Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals 1695–1696 | 1689, 1691 – participated | Rome, 20 June 1697 | "Jan Kazimierz Denhoff". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Jan Aleksander Lipski | Olszyna, 15 June 1690 | 20 December 1737 by Pope Clement XII | (Never received the red hat and the title) | Bishop of Kraków | 1740 – absent | Kielce, 20 February 1746 | "Jan Aleksander Lipski". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Leon Michał Przyłuski | Strzeszynek (now part of Poznań), 5 October 1789 | Elevation intended by Pope Pius IX to take place on 22 June 1866 | (Died before consistory) | Archbishop of Gnesen-Posen (Gniezno-Poznań) | None | Poznań, 12 March 1865 | The pope intended to elevate Przyłuski to cardinalate, but the bishop died before the consistory was announced. | "Leon Michał Przyłuski". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| Mieczysław Ledóchowski | Górki, 29 October 1822 | 15 March 1875 by Pope Pius IX | Cardinal Priest of S. Maria in Ara Coeli | Archbishop of Gnesen-Posen (Gniezno-Poznań) until 1896, later Prefect of the Congregation for Propagation of the Faith | 1878 – participated | Rome, 22 July 1902 | "Mieczysław Ledóchowski". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Włodzimierz Czacki | Poryck (now Pavlivka, Ukraine), 16 April 1834 | 25 September 1882 by Pope Leo XIII | Cardinal Priest of S. Pudenziana | Titular Archbishop of Salamis, Apostolic Nuncio to France | None | Rome, 8 March 1888 | "Włodzimierz Czacki". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Albin Dunajewski | Stanislau (now Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine), 1 March 1817 | 23 June 1890 by Pope Leo XIII | Cardinal Priest of Ss. Vitale, Valeria, Gervasio e Protasio | Bishop of Krakau (Kraków) | None | Krakau (Kraków), 18 June 1894 | "Albin Dunajewski". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Jan Puzyna | Gwoździec (now Hvizdets, Ukraine) 13 September 1842 | 15 April 1901 by Pope Leo XIII | Cardinal Priest of Ss. Vitale, Valeria, Gervasio e Protasio | Bishop of Krakau (Kraków) | 1903 – participated | Krakau (Kraków), 8 September 1911 | At the conclave of 1903, Puzyna vetoed the election of Cardinal Mariano Rampolla in the name of Emperor Francis Joseph I of Austria-Hungary. | "Jan Puzyna". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| Edmund Dalbor | Ostrowo (now Ostrów Wielkopolski), 30 October 1869 | 15 December 1919 by Pope Benedict XV | Cardinal Priest of S. Giovanni a Porta Latina | Archbishop of Gniezno-Poznań | 1922 – participated | Poznań, 13 February 1926 | "Edmund Dalbor". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Aleksander Kakowski | Dębiny, 5 February 1862 | 15 December 1919 by Pope Benedict XV | Cardinal Priest of S. Agostino | Archbishop of Warsaw | 1922 – participated | Warsaw, 30 December 1938 | Member of the Regency Council 1917–1918 | "Aleksander Kakowski". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| August Hlond | Myslowitz (now Mysłowice), 5 July 1881 | 20 June 1927 by Pope Pius XI | Cardinal Priest of S. Maria della Pace | Archbishop of Gniezno-Poznań until 1946, later Archbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw | 1939 – participated | Warsaw, 22 October 1948 | Beatification process started in 1992. | "August Hlond". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| Adam Stefan Sapieha | Krasiczyn, 14 May 1867 | 18 February 1946 by Pope Pius XII | Cardinal Priest of S. Maria Nuova | Archbishop of Kraków | None | Kraków, 21 July 1951 | "Adam Stefan Sapieha". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Stefan Wyszyński | Zuzela, 3 August 1901 | 12 January 1953 by Pope Pius XII | Cardinal Priest of S. Maria in Trastevere | Archbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw | 1958, 1963, Aug 1978, Oct 1978 – participated | Warsaw, 28 May 1981 | Impeded from attending the consistory, he received the red hat on 18 May 1957. Beatified in 2021. | "Stefan Wyszyński". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| Karol Wojtyła | Wadowice, 18 May 1920 | 26 June 1967 by Pope Paul VI | Cardinal Priest of S. Cesareo in Palatio | Archbishop of Kraków | Aug 1978 – participated; Oct 1978 – participated, elected | Rome, 2 April 2005 | Elected pope on 16 October 1978, took the name John Paul II. Canonized in 2014. | "Karol Wojtyła". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| Bolesław Kominek | Radlin, 23 December 1903 | 5 March 1973 by Pope Paul VI | Cardinal Priest of S. Croce in via Flaminia | Archbishop of Wrocław | None | Wrocław, 10 March 1974 | "Bolesław Kominek". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Bolesław Filipiak | Ośniszczewko, 1 September 1901 | 24 May 1976 by Pope Pope Paul VI | Cardinal Deacon of S. Giovanni Bosco in via Tuscolana | Titular Bishop of Plestia, Dean of the Roman Rota | Aug 1978 – absent (poor health); Oct 1978 – absent (died on the first day) | Poznań, 14 October 1978 | "Bolesław Filipiak". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Władysław Rubin | Toki (now in Ukraine), 20 September 1917 | 30 June 1979 by Pope John Paul II | Cardinal Deacon of S. Maria in Via Lata | Titular Bishop of Serta, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches until 1985 | None | Rome, 28 November 1990 | "Władysław Rubin". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Franciszek Macharski | Kraków, 20 May 1927 | 30 June 1979 by Pope John Paul II | Cardinal Priest of S. Giovanni a Porta Latina | Archbishop of Kraków until 2005 | 2005 – participated; 2013 – no voting rights | Kraków, 2 August 2016 | Lost electoral rights in 2007 | "Franciszek Macharski". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| Józef Glemp | Inowrocław, 18 December 1929 | 2 February 1983 by Pope John Paul II | Cardinal Priest of S. Maria in Trastevere | Archbishop of Gniezno until 1992, Archbishop of Warsaw until 2006 | 2005 – participated | Warsaw, 23 January 2013 | Lost electoral rights in 2009 | "Józef Glemp". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| Andrzej Maria Deskur | Sancygniów, 29 February 1924 | 25 May 1985 by Pope John Paul II | Cardinal Deacon of S. Cesareo in Palatio (title elevated to Cardinal Priest in 1996) | Titular Archbishop of Thenae, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications until 1984 | 2005 – no voting rights | Rome, 3 September 2011 | Lost electoral rights in 2004 | "Andrzej Maria Deskur". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda | ||
| Henryk Gulbinowicz | Wilno (now Vilnius, Lithuania), 17 October 1923 | 25 May 1985 by Pope John Paul II | Cardinal Priest of Immacolata Concezione di Maria a Grottarossa | Archbishop of Wrocław until 2004 | 2005, 2013 – no voting rights | Wrocław, 16 November 2020 | Lost electoral rights in 2003 | "Henryk Gulbinowicz". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| Kazimierz Świątek | Valga, Estonia, 21 October 1914 | 26 November 1994 by Pope John Paul II | Cardinal Priest of S. Gerardo Maiella | Archbishop of Minsk-Mohilev, Belarus, until 2006 | 2005 – no voting rights | Pinsk, Belarus, 21 July 2011 | Never had electoral rights. First cardinal from Belarus. | "Kazimierz Świątek". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| Adam Kozłowiecki | Huta Komorowska, 1 April 1911 | 21 February 1998 by Pope John Paul II | Cardinal Priest of S. Andrea al Quirinale | Titular Archbishop of Potentia in Piceno | 2005 – no voting rights | Lusaka, Zambia, 28 September 2007 | Never had electoral rights. First cardinal from Zambia. | "Adam Kozłowiecki". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| Marian Jaworski | Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine), 21 August 1926 | 21 February 1998 in pectore by Pope John Paul II | Cardinal Priest of S. Sisto | Archbishop of Lviv, Ukraine, until 2008 | 2005 – participated; 2013 – no voting rights | Kraków, 5 September 2020 | Elevated in pectore, announced on 21 February 2001. Lost electoral rights in 2006. | "Marian Jaworski". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| Zenon Grocholewski | Bródki, 11 October 1939 | 21 February 2001 by Pope John Paul II | Cardinal Deacon of S. Nicola in Carcere | Titular Archbishop of Acropolis, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education until 2015 | 2005, 2013 – participated | Rome, 17 July 2020 | Lost electoral rights in 2019. | "Zenon Grocholewski". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| Stanisław Nagy | Berun (now Bieruń), 30 September 1921 | 21 October 2003 by Pope John Paul II | Cardinal Deacon of S. Maria della Scala | Titular Archbishop of Hólar | 2005, 2013 – no voting rights | Kraków, 5 June 2013 | Never had electoral rights. | "Stanisław Nagy". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| Stanisław Dziwisz | Raba Wyżna, 27 April 1939 | 24 March 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI | Cardinal Priest of S. Maria del Popolo | Archbishop of Kraków until 2016 | 2013 – participated | Living | Lost electoral rights in 2019 | "Stanisław Dziwisz". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | |
| Ignacy Jeż | Radomyśl Wielki, 31 July 1914 | Elevation intended by Pope Benedict XVI to take place on 24 November 2007 | (Died before consistory) | Bishop Emeritus of Koszalin-Kołobrzeg | None | Rome, 16 October 2007 | The pope intended to elevate Jeż to cardinalate, but the bishop died one day before the consistory was announced. The pope later confirmed that Jeż should be counted as a cardinal. | "Ignacy Jeż". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda KAI |  | |
| Stanisław Ryłko | Andrychów, 4 July 1945 | 24 November 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI | Cardinal Deacon of Sacro Cuore di Cristo Re | Titular Archbishop of Novica, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity until 2016 | 2013 – participated | Living | "Stanisław Ryłko". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Kazimierz Nycz | Stara Wieś, 1 February 1950 | 20 November 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI | Cardinal Priest of Ss. Silvestro e Martino ai Monti | Archbishop of Warsaw until 2024 | 2013 – participated | Living | "Kazimierz Nycz". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Konrad Krajewski | Łódź, 25 November 1963 | 28 June 2018 by Pope Francis | Cardinal Deacon of Santa Maria Immacolata all'Esquilino | Titular Bishop of Beneventum, Almoner of the Office of Papal Charities | None | Living | "Konrad Krajewski". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Miranda |  | ||
| Grzegorz Ryś | Kraków, 9 February 1964 | 30 September 2023 by Pope Francis | Cardinal Priest of Ss. Cirillo e Metodio | Archbishop of Łódź | None | Living | "Grzegorz Ryś". Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. |  | ||
