Early life and education Konrad Krajewski was born on 25 November 1963 in
Łódź, central Poland, to a family of teachers. He had an older brother, Krzysztof, who died suddenly in his sleep at the age of 29 whilst at sea. In 1990, Krajewski continued his studies at the
Liturgical Institute of St. Anselmo in
Rome. On 5 March 1993, he obtained his Licentiate in Sacred Liturgy. Krajewski earned a Doctorate in Theology from the
Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in 1995 with a dissertation entitled ''L'ordinazione episcopale nella riforma del Concilio Vaticano II'' ("Episcopal ordination in the reform of Vatican II"). During his stay in Rome, Krajewski collaborated with the
Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff.
Master of Ceremonies He returned to his diocese in 1995 and served as master of ceremonies for the archbishop and taught Catholic
liturgy at the seminary and to the
Franciscans and
Salesians. In 1998, he returned to Rome to work in the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff. On 12 May 1999,
Pope John Paul II appointed him a Papal Master of Ceremonies. Krajewski helped plan and execute all major public liturgical events presided over by the Pope, including
Christmas and
Easter Masses,
canonizations, consistory ceremonies, and
conclaves. He was tasked with ensuring that rituals were carried out in an appropriate manner and according to custom. At the same time, he was made
Titular Archbishop of
Beneventum. He was consecrated on 17 September 2013 by Cardinal
Giuseppe Bertello with Archbishops
Piero Marini and
Władysław Ziółek as co-consecrators. Pope Francis attended the consecration. On the Pope's behalf, the almoner carries out acts of charity and raises the money to fund them. Krajewski's office funds its work by selling customized parchments with a photograph of the pope and an inscription in calligraphy that document
papal blessings granted on a special occasion, such as a wedding, baptism or priestly ordination. All proceeds go directly to the works of charity. In 2012, the office spent one million euros (US$1.4 million) on 6,500 requests for help. Krajewski described how Francis has redefined the little-known office of papal almoner: "The Holy Father told me at the beginning: 'You can sell your desk. You don't need it. You need to get out of the Vatican. Don't wait for people to come ringing. You need to go out and look for the poor," Krajewski said. Requests for aid that the pope receives are delivered to the almoner daily, sometimes accompanied with notations in the pope's hand. Archbishop Krajewski has visited homes for the elderly and distributed funds to the needy. He spent four days on the island of
Lampedusa after a migrant boat carrying
Eritreans capsized, It opened in October 2015.
Pope Francis made him a
Cardinal-Deacon of
Santa Maria Immacolata all'Esquilino on 28 June 2018. Following his elevation, Krajewski invited 280 poor and homeless individuals to a dinner at the Vatican's employee canteen, stating that "this red cap is for the poor and the volunteers, I have no merit." Krajewski participated as a
cardinal elector in the
2025 papal conclave that elected
Pope Leo XIV.
Humanitarian work As Cardinal and Papal Almoner, Krajewski was active in undertaking charitable and voluntary work. Notably, his aid and regular visits to people without a home, and the direct distribution of food, clothing, medicine, and sleeping bags to Rome’s homeless, gained considerable praise. and international support in countries or areas affected by war. On 11 May 2019, Krajewski climbed down a manhole cover in a Rome street to break a seal and switch back on the electricity supply to a building where 450 people were
squatting, including 100 children, thereby restoring power and hot water which they had been without for five days. The squatters included migrants. Krajewski was criticised on Twitter by
Matteo Salvini, the
Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, for his action but responded by telling the Italian newspaper
Corriere della Sera: "From now on.... I'll pay the bills; indeed I will even pay his [Salvini's]". Krajewski received significant attention in early May 2020 when he wired charity money for food to a group of transgender sex workers who had been left out of a job due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. In the same month, two truckloads of medical supplies, including masks and other protective equipment, were donated and sent from Poland to the Vatican. Krajewski played a pivotal role in facilitating this transport, which was a gesture of solidarity from the Polish people during the health crisis. Krajewski also supervised that food and supplies reached those who were isolated during
COVID-19 lockdowns. This mission, which involved several trips, was considered a highly unusual move of Vatican diplomacy. In Ukraine, Krajewski personally delivered generators, ambulances, food and humanitarian aid to those in need in the war zone under attack, and paid respects to the remains of hundreds of people in
mass graves onsite. Krajewski drove one of the ambulance vehicles from the Vatican to Ukraine, accompanied by a homeless man who assisted with the long journey.
Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity Pope Francis promulgated the apostolic constitution
Praedicate evangelium on 19 March 2022, with an effective date of 5 June 2022. This constitution elevated the Office of the Papal Almoner into the
Dicastery for the Service of Charity. Since that date, Krajewski has served as the Prefect of the Dicastery, while also retaining the title of Papal Almoner.
Metropolitan Archbishop of Łódź Pope Leo XIV appointed Krajewski as
Metropolitan Archbishop of Łódź on 12 March 2026. ==Personal life and views==