John George Vlazny

John George Vlazny (February 22, 1937 – May 23, 2025) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the tenth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon from 1997 to 2013. He was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago in Illinois from 1983 to 1987 and bishop of the Diocese of Winona in Minnesota from 1987 to 1997.

Biography

Early life Vlazny was born on February 22, 1937, in Chicago, Illinois, to John and Marie (née Brezina) Vlazny, who were of Czech ancestry. His father was originally married to the sister of Vlazny's mother, Hattie Brezina, who died when their daughter, Marcella, was 13. In addition to his half-sister, John Vlazny had a younger sister, Marion. His father, who died from cancer when Vlazny was 18, owned a pharmacy in a three-story building at the corner of 18th and Throop Streets. After attending Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago, he studied at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1958. He earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology in 1960 and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in 1962.

Priesthood On December 20, 1961, Vlazny was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Chicago by Archbishop Martin J. O'Connor in Rome at St. Peter's Basilica.

Following his return to Chicago, Vlazny served on the faculty of Quigley Preparatory North in Chicago from 1963 to 1979.

As an auxiliary bishop, Vlazny served as episcopal vicar for Lake County, Illinois and the northwestern part of Cook County, Illinois. During his tenure, Vlazny increased the involvement of the laity, decentralized the diocesan staff, and created the Offices of Youth and Family Life.

In July 2004, the archdiocese became the first American diocese to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy in response to the Catholic sex abuse cases. Vlazny described his actions by saying, "This is not an effort to avoid responsibility. It is, in fact, the only way I can assure that other claimants can be offered fair compensation."

In January 2010, Vlazny defended his loan of money to Reverend Angel Armando Perez to cover his legal expenses, Perez had been indicted in Marion County, Oregon, on first-degree sexual abuse and abuse of a child in the display of sexually explicit conduct. While condemning Perez's alleged criminal actions. Vlazny expressed a need to help a fellow priest.

In April 2010, Vlazny called for parishioners to cancel their subscriptions to The Oregonian, declaring it guilty of "Catholic bashing." The newspaper's editors, he said, "arrogantly scolded the church for its past failures in handling this matter of child sexual abuse." The newspaper had run an editorial, an editorial cartoon and a syndicated column by E.J. Dionne on how the church had dealt with sexual abuse crime.

On January 29, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI announced the acceptance of Vlazny's resignation as archbishop of Portland and named Bishop Alexander Sample to succeed him.

Death Vlazny died at his home in Beaverton, Oregon, on May 23, 2025, at the age of 88.

Viewpoints

Euthanasia An opponent of assisted suicide, Vlazny supported the unsuccessful repeal of the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, saying,Many have expressed a dread about what will happen when the power over life and death may be put into the hands of a society that is driven by economics, expedience and efficiency, a society that flees from suffering, weakness or limitations of any kind.

Abortion During the 2004 U.S. presidential election, Vlazny said Catholic politicians who supported abortion rights, such as Democratic presidential nominee Senator John Kerry, should refrain from receiving communion.