František Rábek (born 17 February 1949) a Slovak

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He was the first ordinary of the

Military Ordinariate of Slovakia The Military Ordinariate of Slovakia () is a Latin military ordinariate (pseudo-diocese) of the Roman Catholic Church for the Slovak armed forces. It is exempt, i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See (not part of any ecclesiastical province a ...

from its establishment in 2003 to his retirement in 2025.

Biography

František Rábek was born on 17 February 1949 in the village of Močenok, in

Šaľa District Šaľa District (; ) is a district in the Nitra Region of western Slovakia. Until 1918, the district formed mostly part of the county of Kingdom of Hungary of Nyitra, apart from a small area in the west around Diakovce, Tešedíkovo and Žih� ...

. Following his studies of theology at the

Comenius University Comenius University Bratislava () is the largest university in Slovakia, with most of its faculties located in Bratislava. It was founded in 1919, shortly after the creation of Czechoslovakia. It is named after Jan Amos Comenius, a 17th-century ...

he was ordained priest on 17 June 1972. Afterwards, he served as a chaplain in

Bošany Bošany () is a village and municipality in Partizánske District in the Trenčín Region of western Slovakia. History The village was established in 1924 by merging the former villages of Veľké Bošany () and Malé Bošany (). In 1960, the fo ...

and in

Nitra Nitra (; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra (river), Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of ...

and later a parish priest in Nitra, Drážovce and

Čierne Čierne () is a village and municipality in Čadca District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia, on the border with Poland and the Czech Republic. History In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1662. In November 1938, t ...

. On 13 July 1991 he was named the auxiliary bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Nitra The Diocese of Nitra (; ; ) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in western Slovakia, with its seat in Nitra. , the bishop is Viliam Judák. History The diocese was created as the first one on the territory of present-day Slovakia ...

and the titular bishop of Catrum by the

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. He was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

on 27 July 1991 by the Cardinal

Ján Chryzostom Korec Ján Chryzostom Korec, SJ (22 January 1924 – 24 October 2015) was a Slovak Jesuit priest and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was ordained as a priest in 1950 and consecrated as a bishop in 1951. Because of the government's suppressio ...

. On 20 January 2003 he became the first ordinary of the newly created Military Ordinariate of Slovakia. In 2024, Rábek applied for retirement due to reaching the age of 75. In May 2025,

Pope Leo XIV Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, September 14, 1955) has been head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 2025. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States and North America, the fir ...

accepted Rábek's request and named the Capuchin friar

Pavol Šajgalík Pavol Šajgalík (born 30 June 1955) is a Slovak physicist, specialized in materials science. He has served as the president of the Slovak Academy of Sciences from 2015 to 2025. Biography Pavol Šajgalík was born on 30 June 1955 in Bratis ...

as his replacement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rabek, Frantisek 1949 births Living people People from Šaľa District Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Slovakia Comenius University alumni