16 Facts About Zenon Grocholewski

Zenon Grocholewski was a Polish prelate of the Catholic Church, who was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2001.

Zenon Grocholewski joined the Roman Curia in 1972 and served from 1999 until 2015 as Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education and Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Zenon Grocholewski joined the staff of the Apostolic Signatura in 1972.

Zenon Grocholewski was created Cardinal-Deacon of San Nicola in Carcere by John Paul II in the consistory of 21 January 2001.

Zenon Grocholewski automatically lost his curial position on 2 April 2005 upon the death of Pope John Paul.

Zenon Grocholewski was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.

Zenon Grocholewski participated in the 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis.

Zenon Grocholewski was a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Congregation for Bishops, the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, and the Special Council for Oceania of the Synod of Bishops.

Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski was the papal envoy to the ceremonies marking the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas in Manila, the oldest university in Asia.

Zenon Grocholewski died on 17 July 2020 at the age of 80.

Zenon Grocholewski taught at the Faculty of Canon Law of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and at the Faculty of Canon Law of the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.

Zenon Grocholewski gave lectures on Administrative Justice at the Studio Rotale of the Roman Rota.

Zenon Grocholewski gave talks at conferences and conventions in various countries.

Zenon Grocholewski was connected with a number of Canon Law associations, and with the editorial boards of some academic reviews and journals.

In March 2011 at a press conference to present the newly published Decree on the Reform of Ecclesiastical Studies of Philosophy, Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski explained how the normative documents concerning ecclesiastical studies comprehended John Paul II's 1979 Apostolic Constitution "Sapientia christiana" and its norms of application, issued in the same year by the Congregation for Catholic Education.

Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski received more than 20 honorary Doctorates, the Grand Medal of San Gorazdo of the Ministry of Education of Slovakia, the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit, the Grand Cross of Merit with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta, and Commander of l'Ordre des Palmes academiques of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of France.