Bishop of Wrocław


Bishops of the Wrocław Bishopric, Prince-Bishopric, and Archdiocese.

Bishops

Prince-Bishops

Archbishops

Post-War Administrators

Breslau and most of the archdiocesan territory were annexed to the People's Republic of Poland in July 1945. On 1 September 1945 the archdiocese was de facto divided into four separate areas; Görlitz, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Opole, and Wrocław. In 1972 the Holy See redrew the archdiocesan boundaries, effectively dividing the former Archdiocese of Breslau into four new dioceses.
From 1951-1958, Teodor Bensch served as a spiritual assistant with episcopal jurisdiction for the remaining non-expelled Germans in the Polish part of the archdiocese. That is, the Germans in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Opole, and Wrocław.

Görlitz Vicariate

After the division of Germany and Poland, only a small part of the territory of Wrocław remained in East Germany.
In 1972, the vicariate was disentangled from the archdiocese and established as the exempt Apostolic Administration of Görlitz.

Gorzów Wielkopolski Vicariate

This Vicariate was also responsible for the Polish-annexed diocesan areas of the archepiscopal suffragans, such as the Diocese of Berlin and the Territorial Prelature of Schneidemühl).
In 1972, the vicariate was established as a suffragan of Wrocław as the Diocese of Gorzów Wielkopolski. It was renamed in 1992.

Opole Vicariate

  • 1945–1951 : Administrator Bolesław Kominek, appointed administrator for the Opole district with effect of 1 September 1945, deposed and expelled by Communist Polish government on 26 January 1951
  • 1951–1956 : Capitular Vicar Emil Kobierzycki
  • 1956–1972 : Franciszek Jop, Special Delegate of Primas Stefan Wyszyński, administrator since 1967, thereafter bishop of the Diocese of Opole newly established from the archdiocese in 1972
In 1972, the vicariate was established as a suffragan of Wrocław as the Diocese of Opole.

Wrocław Vicariate

This vicariate was also responsible for the Czechoslovak archdiocesan area until 1978.
  • 1945–1951 : Administrator Karol Milik, appointed for the Wrocław district by August Hlond on 15 August with effect of 1 September 1945, not recognized as archbishop by the Holy See, deposed and expelled by Communist Polish government on 26 January 1951
  • 1951–1956 : Capitular Vicar Kazimierz Lagosz, not recognized as archbishop by the Holy See
  • 1956–1972 : Capitular Vicar Bolesław Kominek, not recognized as archbishop by the Holy See, thereafter appointed as archbishop of Wrocław with a sharply belittled archdiocesan area
In 1972, the vicariate resumed its place as the archepiscopal see. Its bishops are listed above.

Auxiliary bishops

Apostolic visitators for the expelled German priests and faithful

The expelled German priests and German Silesian faithful from the original Archdiocese of Breslau were granted the privilege of an apostolic visitator, given all diocesan jurisdiction required, by Pope Paul VI in 1972, in order to serve the Catholic Heimatvertriebene from Silesia, in West Germany, their new home.