Postulator of St. John Paul's sainthood cause named bishop in Poland

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has appointed Msgr. Slawomir Oder, best known for his work overseeing the cause for canonization of St. John Paul II, to be the new bishop of Gliwice, Poland.

The Vatican announced Jan. 28 that Msgr. Oder would succeed Bishop Jan Kopiec, who reached the normal retirement age of 75 in mid-December.

Bishop-designate Oder was ordained for the Diocese of Pelplin, Poland, in 1989 and was incardinated in the Diocese of Torun when it was created by St. John Paul in 1992.

But the new bishop spent most of his priesthood studying and working in Rome.

Born Aug. 7, 1960, in Chelmza, he earned a master's degree in economics from the State University of Gdansk, before completing studies in philosophy at the major seminary of Pelplin and in theology at Rome's Pontifical Roman Seminary and the Pontifical Lateran University.

After ordination, he earned his doctorate in canon and civil law from the Lateran University and began working for the Diocese of Rome, serving as deputy director of the legal office, chancellor of the Court of Appeals and president of the Court of Appeals. Simultaneously, from 2005 to 2014, he served as the postulator of the sainthood cause of St. John Paul, overseeing the investigations into the life of the deceased pope, compiling his biography and coordinating the presentation of the miracles needed for beatification and canonization.

After Pope Francis canonized Pope John Paul in 2014, Msgr. Oder served as judicial vicar of the tribunal of the Diocese of Rome before returning to the Diocese of Torun in 2019.

He has served in Torun as head of the ongoing formation of the clergy and judge at the diocesan tribunal.