Pope appoints new Papal Almoner, names Cardinal Krajewski Archbishop of Łódź
By Devin Watkins
On Thursday, Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín, OSA, as the new Papal Almoner, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, and conferred on him the dignity of Archbishop.
Archbishop Marín de San Martín has served as the Undersecretary of the Secretariat of the Synod since 2021.
At the same time, the Pope named Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, now Prefect Emeritus of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Łódź, his birthplace in Poland.
Cardinal Krajewski has served as the Papal Almoner since 2013, when Pope Francis also made him the titular Archbishop of Benevento.
The late Pope created him Cardinal at the Consistory on June 28, 2018, and with the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, Cardinal Krajewski became the Prefect of the newly instituted Dicastery for the Service of Charity.
Speaking to Vatican News’ Benedetta Capelli after his appointment, Cardinal Krajewski thanked God for his 28 years of service in the Vatican.
As he studied liturgical theology in Rome, then-Fr. Krajewski became the Pontifical Master of Ceremonies for Pope St. John Paul II, also serving Pope Benedict XVI throughout his pontificate and then Pope Francis for 10 months.
“I experienced different things because each Pope has given the Church something new, each with a different emphasis,” he recalled.
When Pope Francis asked him to become the Papal Almoner, the Pope spoke to Cardinal Krajewski for two hours aboard the flight to Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day in 2013.
“He explained to me what I had to do as Almoner,” said Cardinal Krajewski. “He asked me to sleep next to the poor, to go out from the Vatican, and always, at the end of the day, to have the bank account empty because everything was destined for works of charity. But there is one thing that has always stayed with me that Francis told me: ‘If you don’t know what to do, always ask the Lord, and ask what He would do in your place.’”
During his tenure, the Cardinal carried out 10 missions to Ukraine in the Pope’s name, personally driving ambulances and other vehicles laden with emergency aid for the suffering population.
Asked about his appointment as the Archbishop of Łódź, Cardinal Krajewski said Pope Leo asked him if he wanted to bring all the experiences gained at the heart of the universal Church to a local Church.
“I accepted willingly, because the good of the Church is born from closeness to the faithful,” said the Cardinal. “My diocese is large; it has two and a half million inhabitants; I am ready to serve.”
Despite his years of service in the Vatican, Cardinal Krajewski expressed his desire to return home to Poland and to the city of his birth.
“I never really left Poland,” he admitted, “I always remained among the people, and I also had a bit of longing.”
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