Wladyslaw Michal Zaleski

Ladislaus Michael Zaleski also Vladislaus Michael Zaleski or Zalesky, Polish: Władysław Michał Zaleski Bonifacy ( born 2 May 1852 in Welona, Lithuania, † October 5, 1925 in Rome) was a Catholic Archbishop, Mission pioneer, Apostolic Delegate of the East Indies and Latin Patriarch of Antioch.

Life and work

His father was a Polish Landadliger, owner of the manor Welona. Ladislaus Zaleski joined in 1880 the seminary moved to Warsaw and in 1881 to the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. There he received his doctorate and received a diplomatic training. 1882 received Zaleski in Florence ordination. After that employed him in various Roman Congregations, and he took part in diplomatic missions of the Holy See to Spain (1884 ), India ( 1886) and England ( 1887). 1889-1890 worked as Ladislaus Zaleski nunciature counselor in Paris.

In 1890, we sent the Lithuanians as special papal delegates to India on March 5, 1892, he received the appointment as a permanent Apostolic Delegate of the East Indies and at the same time Titular Archbishop of Thebes.

Archbishop Zaleski resided in Kandy, where he founded a central seminary from which were 51 bishops and three cardinals over the years. He became a profound knowledge of Indian missions and their particular circumstances. In a biography of his secretary Alois Benziger, who later became Bishop of Quilon, says about it:

" Archbishop had Zalesky as Apostolic Delegate for the supervision of all Roman Catholic missions of the East Indies, that is, over an area that was about half as large as the whole of Europe, including Russia and in the 300 million people lived. His closest companion was Father Alois Benziger, who took care of the secretariat independently. In his hands came the letters from all parts of India, reports, requests, complaints, complaints and cries for help. He had to write their answers on the Indian bishops to enter into negotiations to assign missionaries to resolve difficulties. It was his job to keep Rome to date; him drafting the Inspectorate reports was transmitted. This Inspectorate reports presuppose that Father Benziger mitmachte the inspection trips. He learned in this way the whole of India to know the countries that peoples and States, their kings and princes, the different races and religions, the character of the individual tribes. "

Ladislaus Zaleski led in India presided over several provincial synods, worked hard to strengthen the local church hierarchy and promoted sustainable growth of the missionaries.

1917 returned the missionary bishop returned to Rome and was appointed date of 4 December 1916 the honorary Latin Patriarch of Antioch. Zaleski is the author of many ethnographic and historical mission work; inter alia, He also wrote under the pseudonym " Pierre Courtenay ". He was re-discoverer and admirers of the later beatified Indian priest Joseph Vaz (1651-1711), an apostle of Ceylon. About him, he wrote a biography repeatedly launched and promoted sustained his cult at the seminary in Kandy. He also did some research about the 2012 beatified, Indian Martyrs Devasahayam Pillai ( 1712-1752 ), and enlivened his admiration.

Ladislaus Zaleski died in 1925 in Rome, but wished his will to be buried in the Redemptorist community in India. As one in 1955, founded by him in Kandy Indian Central Seminary moved to Pune, there also was transferred to his remains. You are resting under a grave stone before the altar of the chapel seminar.

Archbishop Zaleski was the principal consecrator the momentous for India bishops Alois Benziger, Augustine Kandathil and Alexander Chulaparambil.