Zdzisław Peszkowski

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Father Zdzisław Peszkowski
Father Zdzisław Peszkowski

Zdzisław Peszkowski (August 23, 1918 SanokOctober 8, 2007 Warsaw) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest and one of a small group of Polish army officers who managed to survive the 1940 mass execution of over 20,000 Polish citizens by NKVD, the Katyn massacre. Peszkowski was a leading advocate and chaplain for the Katyn Families Association, which works with survivors of the Katyn massacre and their families.[1]

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[edit] Military

Peszkowski was born in Sanok, in what is now Poland. Peszkowski was living in Poland when the Soviet Union invaded the eastern half of the country in 1939.[1] Together with other Polish officers located by the Soviets he was imprisoned and sent to a POW camp in Kozelsk.[1] He was one of the few at the camp who were not executed by the Soviets.[1] Peszkowski joined the Polish Home Army following his release from the camp.

[edit] Priesthood

Peszkowski left the army following World War II and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest.[1] He became a leading advocate for the remembrance of the Katyn massacre and the murder of Poles elsewhere in the country during the war. He also became a chaplain for Polish families of the Katyn massacres.[1] He preached forgiveness for the perpetrators of Katyn. He called for forgiveness for those who killed Polish army officers during a speech at Warsaw's Unknown Soldiers' Grave in 1995.[1]

June 4, 2007 was the last Katyn remembrance ceremony where Peszkowski took part.[1] He laid a cornerstone for a memorial at the cemetery for Polish army officers in Katyn.[1] He told those gathered that he hoped the tragedies that happened to Poland during World War II would serve as a warning against hatred to the rest of the world.[1]

Zdzisław Peszkowski died in Warsaw, Poland, at the age of 89.[1] He remained a chaplain for the Katyn families until his death.[1]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Katyn Families’ chaplain dies in Poland", Thenews.pl, 2007-10-08. Retrieved on 2007-10-09. 
Persondata
NAME Peszkowski, Zdzisław
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Zdzislaw Peszkowski
SHORT DESCRIPTION Polish Army officer, Roman Catholic priest
DATE OF BIRTH August 23, 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH Sanok, Poland
DATE OF DEATH October 8, 2007
PLACE OF DEATH Warsaw, Poland
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