AS SEEN ON TV: CARDINAL SAPIEHA

As today is the birthday of my "pseudo-nephew" Eli Cleary, I've added another "As Seen On TV" showcase to highlight this date in the life of someone from his mother's homeland.....

CARDINAL PRINCE ADAM SAPIEHA

AS SEEN IN:
"Pope John Paul II"

AS PLAYED BY:
James Cromwell

From Wikipedia:
Prince Adam Stefan Stanislaw Bonfatiusz Józef Sapieha (14 May 1867 – 23 July 1951) was a Polish cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Kraków. Between 1922–1923 he was a senator of the Second Rzeczpospolita. In 1946, Pope Pius XII created him Cardinal.

He was created Cardinal Priest, of the title of Santa Maria Nuova, on 18 February 1946. On 1 November 1946 he conferred priestly ordination on Karol Wojtyla in the chapel of his episcopal residence.

Sapieha knew Karol Wojtyla (later John Paul II) was destined to become a priest when a young Karol delivered a welcoming speech during the archbishop's visit to his school. Some people consider him a mentor of Pope John Paul II. In 1950, he inspired and took part in writing the letters of protest of Poland's episcopacy to president Boleslaw Bierut, that condemned repression and persecution of the church in Poland. In 1949, he proposed that Stefan Wyszynski, Metropolitan Archbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw since 12 November 1948, should be termed Primate of Poland. Sapieha died on 23 July 1951, and his funeral on 28 July turned into a demonstration. He was buried in the Wawel Cathedral, in a crypt under the confession of St. Stanislas.

Happity happity, Eli!

BCnU!