Pope Leo XIV appoints Cardinal Konrad Krajewski as Archbishop of Łódź

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Cardinal Konrad Krajewski as the new Archbishop of Łódź, marking his return to his hometown after years of service in the Vatican. The clergyman, who served as papal almoner since 2013, will replace Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś in this position. The nomination was announced on March 12, 2026, and ends Cardinal Konrad Krajewski's thirteen-year period of work in the immediate circle of the Bishop of Rome. A religious from the Augustinian order, described as a close collaborator of the current pope, has been appointed as the new papal almoner and prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity. Konrad Krajewski was born in Łódź in 1963 and was ordained a priest there in 1988. For many years he worked in the Vatican as a papal master of ceremonies (1999–2013), and then as almoner during the pontificates of Francis and Leo XIV. His predecessor in Łódź, Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, has served as Archbishop of Kraków since 2025, which left the Łódź bishopric vacant.

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski gained international recognition for his direct involvement in helping the marginalized, earning him the nickname 'cardinal electrician'. This title stuck to him after a high-profile incident in a Roman tenement building, where he personally broke the security seals to restore electricity to homeless people sheltering there. Italian media, reporting on his transfer to Poland, emphasize that Leo XIV decided to send his trusted almoner to Łódź to continue his mission of closeness to the faithful there. This decision is seen as a significant change in the structures of the Polish Bishops' Conference, considering the cardinal's previous influence and working style. „Ta decyzja mnie przerasta. Kiedy papież mi o tym powiedział, zapytałem, czy jest pewien, że to ja mam tam wrócić.” (This decision overwhelms me. When the pope told me about it, I asked if he was sure I was the one who should return there.) — Konrad Krajewski via Dziennik Łódzki

The nomination process took place in an atmosphere of confidentiality, and the person concerned himself revealed the details of his conversation with the successor of Pope Francis. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski admitted that although the proposal surprised him and raised concerns, he accepted it in a spirit of obedience to the head of the Church. The new Archbishop of Łódź is to take over governance of the archdiocese in the coming weeks, which will close the chapter of his work as prefect of the Vatican dicastery. The change in the position of papal almoner is one of the first such significant personnel decisions by Leo XIV regarding the Polish church hierarchy. [{"dataISO": "1963-11-25", "data": "November 25, 1963", "tytul": "Birth", "opis": "Konrad Krajewski is born in Łódź"}, {"dataISO": "2013-08-03", "data": "August 3, 2013", "tytul": "Papal Almoner", "opis": "Appointed by Pope Francis"}, {"dataISO": "2018-06-28", "data": "June 28, 2018", "tytul": "Cardinalate", "opis": "Created cardinal in Vatican"}, {"dataISO": "2026-03-12", "data": "March 12, 2026", "tytul": "Appointment", "opis": "Pope Leo XIV appoints him Archbishop of Łódź"}]