Leon Michał Przyłuski

Archbishop Leon Michal Przyluski, Primate of Poland

Epitaph for Primate Leon Przyłuski in the Poznań Cathedral

Leon Michał Przyłuski (German: Leo von Przyluski ) (born October 5, 1789 in Streszynek near Posen ; † March 12, 1865 in Posen) was Archbishop of Gniezno and Posen and Primate of Poland .

Life

He attended high school and spiritual seminary in Poznan. From 1811 he studied Catholic theology in Breslau . He was ordained a priest in 1814. After a time as a pastor, he prepared his doctorate for Dr. iur. utr. in front. He returned to Posen in 1824 and subsequently showed his sympathy for the Polish national movement. He became cathedral chapter in Gniezno. In 1832 he was promoted to provost . Nevertheless, after the death of Archbishop Martin von Dunin , he enjoyed the support of Friedrich Wilhelm IV. For this reason, too, he was able to prevail against several competitors in 1844 and was elected Archbishop of Gniezno and Posen.

During the revolution of 1848 he emphasized a strictly legal course, but he also saw himself as a representative of the Polish nation during the Greater Poland uprising . He headed a delegation elected by the Polish National Committee to convey the Poles' demands to the king. He was later in 1848 honorary chairman of the League Polska .

Przyluski's attempt to found a theological school with a Polish character after the revolution failed because of the resistance of the Prussian government. In 1854 he traveled to Rome to proclaim the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. He was also politically active in the 1850s. He was one of the signatories of the petitions of Polish bishops against the “ Raumer Decree” by Karl Otto von Raumer . Among other things, he encouraged priests in various circulars to political activities. In 1861 he even applied for a seat in the Prussian House of Representatives . In 1862 he claimed the representation of the Poles of all three areas in Rome and thus met with a positive response from Pope Pius IX. After the Prussian government complained massively to the Pope about Przyluski's political activities, the latter agreed to make the archbishop a cardinal and call him to Rome. Because of the archbishop's death, this did not happen again.

literature

• Bärbel Holtz (edit.): The minutes of the Prussian State Ministry 1817–1934 / 38. Vol. 4 / II. Olms-Weidmann, Hildesheim, 2003, ISBN 3-487-11825-4 , ( Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (Ed.): Acta Borussica . New series. ) P. 625

Web links

Commons : Leon Przyłuski  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Biography on preussen-chronik.de
• Biography on deutsche-und-polen.de
• Entry on Leon Michał Przyłuski on catholic-hierarchy.org
• Leon Michał Przyłuski. In: Salvador Miranda : The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. ( Florida International University website, English)