Zbigņevs Stankevičs

Who is Zbigņevs Stankevičs?

Zbigņevs Stankevičs, was appointed metropolitan archbishop of Riga on 19 June 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. He previously served as Spiritual Director and Director of the Seminary Institute of Religious Sciences in Riga.

Stankevičs was born in Lejasciems into a family of Polish descent. In 1978, he obtained the Diploma in Engineering at the Riga Polytechnical Institute. He worked for 12 years prior to pursuing religious studies, first at a naval centre and then at a bank. At that time, he was Vice President of the 'Polish Union of Latvia'. After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union he entered the seminary in 1990 in Lublin, Poland. He studied philosophy and theology at the Catholic University of Lublin, receiving a Masters in Theology in 1996. He was ordained a priest on 16 June 1996 for the archdiocese of Riga.

After ordination he held the following positions: assistant priest of St Francis Parish in Riga, chaplain of the Missionary Sisters of Charity, Assistant Community charismatic "Effata", Spiritual Director Major Seminary of Riga.

From 2002 to 2008 he completed his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Lateran University, where he obtained his licentiate and doctorate summa cum laude in Fundamental Theology. During his stay in Rome, he was Director of the Blessed Pius IX Residence of the Pontifical Lateran University. In 2008, he became spiritual director of the Riga Major Seminary, director of the Institute of Religious Studies and assistant priest of Christ the King Parish in Riga.