Cardinal Rylko has turned 80, the tradition age of cardinals to retire. Since 2016, he has served as the Archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, the place that Pope Francis visited many times during his pontificate and where he was eventually buried.
However, most of this Polish cardinal’s career in the Holy See was spent at what was then called the Pontifical Council for the Laity.
As president of that department, he organized several World Youth Days. For example, the one in Cologne in 2005, which was the first World Youth Day presided over by Pope Benedict XVI.
He also led the events in Madrid in 2011, and the Pope Francis's first World Youth Day which took place in Brazil in 2013.
In regards to St. Mary Major, Pope Francis had already appointed a coadjutor for the basilica in 2024. The Argentinian pope appointed Rolandas Makrickas and also elevated him to cardinal.
On Cardinal Rylko’s birthday, Pope Leo XIV thanked him for his service and confirmed Makrickas as his successor, now officially the Archpriest of St. Mary Major.
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