August Hlond | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal, Archbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw Primate of Poland | |
 Hlond c. 1938. | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Gniezno &Warsaw |
| See | Gniezno & Warsaw |
| Appointed | 4 March 1926 |
| Term ended | 22 October 1948 |
| Predecessor | Edmund Dalbor |
| Successor | Stefan Wyszyński |
| Other post | Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria della Pace (1927-1948) |
| Previous posts |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 23 September 1905 by Anatol Wincenty Novak |
| Consecration | 3 January 1926 by Aleksander Kakowski |
| Created cardinal | 20 January 1927 byPope Pius XI |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August Hlond 5 July 1881 |
| Died | 22 October 1948(1948-10-22) (aged 67) Warsaw, Poland |
| Buried | St. John's Cathedral, Warsaw |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Residence | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Warsaw |
| Parents | Jan Hlond & Maria Hlond (née Imiela) |
| Alma mater | Salesian Oratory, Turin;Pontifical Gregorian University |
| Motto | Da mihi animas, caetera tolle |
| Signature |  |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Sainthood | |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Styles of August Hlond | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Poznań, Gniezno and Warsaw |
August Józef Hlond,SDB (5 July 1881 – 22 October 1948) was a PolishSalesian prelate of theCatholic Church who served asArchbishop of Poznań and Gniezno from 1926 to 1946 and asArchbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw from 1946 until his death. He was thePrimate of Poland from 1926 to 1948 and was elevated to the rank ofcardinal byPope Pius XI in 1927. As the highest-ranking Catholic leader in interwar and postwar Poland, Hlond played a pivotal role in guiding the Polish Church through the tumultuous periods of theSecond Polish Republic, theNazi occupation during World War II, and the early years of thecommunist regime.Hlond's ecclesiastical career was marked by his efforts to strengthen the Catholic Church in Poland amid political upheaval. He founded theSociety of Christ for Polish Emigrants in 1932 to support Polish diaspora communities. During World War II, he was the only member of theCollege of Cardinals arrested by theGestapo, enduring imprisonment from 1944 to 1945. In exile earlier in the war, he reported Nazi atrocities against Poles and Jews to the Vatican and the world via radio broadcasts. Postwar, he criticized the Soviet-backed communist government, clashing with authorities over church autonomy and education.Hlond's legacy is complex and controversial. While praised for his pastoral leadership and anti-communist stance, he has been criticized for antisemitic statements in a 1936 pastoral letter and his response to postwar anti-Jewish violence, such as theKielce pogrom. His actions in removing ethnic German bishops from Polish-administered territories after the war have also drawn scrutiny. The cause for hisbeatification andcanonization opened in 1992, and he was declaredVenerable byPope Francis in 2018. As of December 2025, the process remains ongoing, with no miracle yet attributed to his intercession for beatification.
August Józef Hlond was born on 5 July 1881 in Brzęczkowice, a small mining village inUpper Silesia within theGerman Empire (now part ofMysłowice, Poland). He was the second of twelve children born to Jan Hlond, a railway worker, and Maria Imiela.[1] The family lived in modest circumstances, typical of working-class Silesian households, where Catholicism was deeply ingrained in daily life. Hlond's early exposure to religious devotion came from his parents, who instilled in their children a strong faith and work ethic.From a young age, Hlond showed an interest in religious life. At the age of 12, inspired by stories ofSaint John Bosco and theSalesians of Don Bosco, he followed his older brother Ignacy toTurin, Italy, to join the Salesian congregation. This move was facilitated by the Salesians' outreach to Polish youth in Silesia, where economic hardship and German cultural pressures encouraged emigration for education.[1] In Turin, Hlond immersed himself in the Salesian oratory environment, which emphasized education, vocational training, and spiritual formation for young boys.
Hlond's formal education began at the Salesian Oratory in Turin, where he completed secondary studies. In 1896, he entered the Salesian novitiate, making his first religious vows the following year. He pursued philosophical studies at thePontifical Gregorian University in Rome, earning a doctorate in philosophy in 1900.[2] Returning to Poland, he completed his theological formation in Kraków, where he was ordained a priest on 23 September 1905 by BishopAnatol Nowak.[3]Post-ordination, Hlond served in various Salesian institutions in Poland, focusing on youth education. In 1907, he was appointed director of a new Salesian house inPrzemyśl, and by 1909, he was sent toVienna as headmaster of a boys' secondary school. There, he expanded the school's facilities and integrated Polish cultural elements into the curriculum, aiding Polish immigrants in theAustro-Hungarian Empire.[4] His administrative skills led to his appointment as Provincial of the Salesians for Austria, Hungary, and Germany in 1919, a role he held amid the postwar reconfiguration of Central Europe.
Following the dissolution ofAustria-Hungary afterWorld War I, Hlond returned to Poland to assist in rebuilding the Church in the newly independentSecond Polish Republic. In 1922,Pope Pius XI appointed him Apostolic Administrator of Polish Upper Silesia, a region contested between Poland and Germany following theSilesian Uprisings. Hlond organized the Church administration, establishing parishes and promoting Polish Catholic identity.[3]On 14 December 1925, the Diocese of Katowice was erected, and Hlond was named its first bishop. He was consecrated on 3 January 1926 by CardinalAleksander Kakowski in Katowice Cathedral.[5] As bishop, he focused on social issues, including workers' rights in the industrial region, and crowned the miraculous image of Our Lady of Piekary in 1925, a significant event for Silesian Catholics.[4]
Hlond's rapid rise continued when he succeeded CardinalEdmund Dalbor as Archbishop of Poznań and Gniezno on 24 June 1926, becoming Primate of Poland at age 45. His installation coincided with Poland's political instability underJózef Piłsudski's regime. As primate, Hlond advocated for Church independence and moral renewal, speaking in multiple languages to engage internationally.[3]Pope Pius XI created him a cardinal-priest on 20 June 1927, assigning him the titular church ofSanta Maria della Pace. Hlond's cardinalate enhanced his influence, allowing him to address global Catholic concerns. In 1932, with FatherIgnacy Posadzy, he founded theSociety of Christ for Polish Emigrants, aimed at pastoral care for Poles abroad, reflecting his Salesian roots in missionary work.[6][7]In the 1930s, Hlond condemned social escapism and urged the Church to confront contemporary evils. He participated in Vatican diplomacy, including the 1939 papal conclave that electedPope Pius XII.
TheGerman invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 ignited World War II. The Nazis targeted the Polish Catholic Church, viewing it as a pillar of national resistance. In annexed territories, churches were closed, clergy arrested, and properties seized.[8]At the Polish government's request, Hlond fled to Romania on 18 September 1939, then to Rome, where he reported Nazi atrocities to the Vatican. His dispatches detailed priestly persecutions, including forced labor and executions.[9] Vatican Radio broadcast his reports in January 1940, later used in theNuremberg Trials.Exiled inLourdes, France, from March 1940, Hlond continued advocacy. After France's fall, he resided atHautecombe Abbey. In February 1944, the Gestapo arrested him—the only cardinal so detained—holding him in Paris and attempting to coerce anti-Soviet statements. Hlond refused, demanding German withdrawal from Poland.[3] Transferred toBar-le-Duc and thenWiedenbrück, he was liberated by American forces on 1 April 1945. He returned to Rome before arriving in Poland on 20 July 1945.Hlond's 1941 report to Vatican SecretaryLuigi Maglione noted Polish perceptions of Pius XII's silence on Nazi persecutions, though Hlond himself remained loyal to the pope.[10]
Returning to a devastated Poland, Hlond faced the Yalta Conference's territorial shifts, with Poland losing eastern lands to the Soviet Union and gaining western territories from Germany. He supported Polish administration of these "Recovered Territories" by appointing Polish bishops and removing ethnic German ones, includingMaximilian Kaller ofWarmia andCarl Maria Splett ofDanzig. This aligned with Polish nationalist policies but drew criticism for ethnic insensitivity.[11]Pope Pius XII appointed him Archbishop of Warsaw on 4 March 1946, unifying the primatial sees. Installed amid massive crowds, Hlond rebuilt the Church, filling vacant sees and reconnecting with Rome. He clashed with the communist regime over nationalized schools and censorship. In pastoral letters, he denounced persecution, comparing it to early Christian trials.[3]
Hlond died on 22 October 1948 in Warsaw from pneumonia complications, aged 67. His funeral drew thousands, symbolizing resistance to communism. He was buried in the crypt ofSt. John's Archcathedral, Warsaw. In March 2006, his remains were transferred to the Chapel of St. John the Baptist.[12]
Hlond's 29 February 1936 pastoral letter "On Catholic Moral Principles" addressed social ethics but included controversial remarks on the "Jewish problem." He accused Jews of opposing the Church, promoting atheism, Bolshevism, and moral corruption, while advocating boycotts of Jewish businesses.[13] Though he condemned violence and acknowledged virtuous Jews, the letter was seen as endorsing antisemitism, drawing criticism from Jewish groups.[14]Postwar, Hlond's response to theKielce pogrom (4 July 1946), which killed 42 Jews, denied racism, attributing it to Jewish involvement in communism—a common antisemitic trope.[10][15] This stance, echoed by other bishops, fueled controversy. TheAmerican Jewish Committee protested his 2018 Venerable declaration, citing these issues.[16]
Hlond's postwar replacement of German bishops with Poles in former German territories supported Polish integration but was criticized as contributing to theexpulsion of Germans. TheologianFranz Scholz opposed his beatification on these grounds.[17]
The cause for Hlond's beatification opened in Warsaw on 9 January 1992, granting him the titleServant of God. Apositio was submitted to theCongregation for the Causes of Saints in 2008. On 19 May 2018, Pope Francis declared him Venerable, confirming hisheroic virtue.[18] As of December 2025, the process awaits recognition of a miracle for beatification. The postulator is Salesian priest Pierluigi Cameroni.[1]Critics, including Jewish organizations and scholars, have questioned the cause due to Hlond's controversial statements and actions.[19]
Hlond is remembered as a steadfast defender of Polish Catholicism amid oppression. His anti-communist stance influenced successors like CardinalStefan Wyszyński andPope John Paul II. The Society of Christ continues his missionary legacy. However, his views on Jews and ethnic policies complicate his historical assessment.[20]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by New creationAdolf Bertram (asArchbishop of Breslau) | Apostolic Administrator of Upper Silesia 1922–1925 | Succeeded by himself (asBishop of Katowice) |
| Preceded by New creationhimself (as Apostolic Administrator) | Bishop of Katowice 1925–1926 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Poznań 1926–1946 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Primate of Poland 1926–1948 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Warsaw 1946–1948 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Cardinal-Priest ofSanta Maria della Pace 1927–1948 | Succeeded by |
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"August Hlond".Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney.Patrimonium: Life of Cardinal August HlondSalesian Holiness: Venerable August HlondLiterature by and about August Hlond in theGerman National Library catalogueStanislaw Zimniak. "HLOND, August Josef".Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German). Vol. nur Internet. Bautz.Newspaper clippings about August Hlond in the20th Century Press Archives of theZBWVirtual tour Gniezno CathedralArchived 17 July 2020 at theWayback MachineList of Primates of Poland
