Pope Francis names Archbishop Galbas as new leader of Warsaw Archdiocese

CNA Newsroom, Nov 4, 2024 / 09:05 am (CNA).

Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Adrian Józef Galbas as the new metropolitan archbishop of Warsaw, Poland, accepting the resignation of Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, who will turn 75 in February.

The appointment was announced Monday by the apostolic nunciature in Poland.

Galbas, 56, has served as metropolitan archbishop of Katowice since May 2023. A member of the Pallottine Fathers, he previously served as auxiliary bishop of Ełk and obtained his doctorate in spiritual theology from Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw in 2012.

Within the Polish Bishops’ Conference, Galbas serves as chairman of the Council for the Lay Apostolate and is a member of the conference’s permanent council.

Born in Bytom, Poland, in 1968, he made his perpetual vows with the Pallottines in 1993 and was ordained a priest in 1994. Before becoming a bishop, he served as provincial superior of the Pallottines’ Annunciation Province from 2011 to 2019.

Pope Francis named him auxiliary bishop of Ełk in December 2019 and appointed him coadjutor archbishop of Katowice in December 2021. He became metropolitan archbishop of Katowice in May 2023.

The Archdiocese of Warsaw, established in 1798, serves as the primary see of Poland and encompasses the capital city of Warsaw.

Nycz led the archdiocese since 2007.