Church of Poland

The Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church
Founder(s)	Ss. Cyril and Methodius
Autocephaly/Autonomy declared	—
Autocephaly/Autonomy recognized	1924 by Constantinople, 1948 by Russia
Current primate	Metropolitan Sawa
Headquarters	Warsaw, Poland
Primary territory	Poland
Possessions abroad	Brasil, Italy
Liturgical language(s)	Church Slavonic, Polish, Portuguese
Musical tradition	Russian Chant, Polish Chant, Znamenny Chant
Calendar	Julian, Revised Julian
Population estimate	509,100 [1] - 550,000
Official website	Church of Poland

The Church of Poland is the autocephalous Orthodox Christian church in the country of Poland. The church has six dioceses and is currently led by Metropolitan Sawa, Archbishop of Warsaw and Metropolitan of All Poland.

While the majority of people in Poland are Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christians have resided in the area that makes up modern-day Poland since the missions of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in the ninth century. In the 13th century there were two Orthodox dioceses centered around Chełm and Przemyśl. Under the Union of Brest in 1596 the vast majority of these Orthodox believers were brought under the spiritual leadership of the Bishop of Rome (the Roman Catholic pope) as Greek Catholics (Uniates). They were, however, allowed to continue several Eastern practices, including a Slavonic liturgy, married priests, and communion with both wine and bread. Loyalties of the faithful between Orthodoxy and the Unia have varied over the ensuing centuries, and tolerance between the ruling regimes and the people has varied as the borders changed. The martyrdom of Maxim Sandovich illustrates the tenseness of these relations.

In an attempt to reduce antagonism in Poland after World War I, the Orthodox leadership in Poland and the Polish government arranged for the Orthodox in Poland to organize as an autocephalous church, which was recognized by the Patriarch of Constantinople in 1924. In 1948, the Patriarch of Russia also recognized the autocephaly of the Church of Poland.

Today, the Church of Poland is led by the Archbishop of Warsaw and Metropolitan of All Poland and includes six dioceses/eparchies: Warsaw and Bielsk, Bialystok and Gdansk, Lodz and Poznan, Wroclaw and Szczecin, Lublin and Chelm, and Przemysl and Nowy Sacz. Most Orthodox Christians are located in eastern Poland, where Old Church Slavonic is the liturgical language. There are a few parishes throughout Poland where Polish is used during services. The Holy Synod has translated and published St John Chrysostom's and St Basil's Liturgies, as well as the Presanctified Liturgy of St. Gregory Dialogus. In recent decades Orthodox believers have also returned to the Lemko region, which is part of the Eparchy of Przemysl and Nowy Sacz. Old Church Slavonic is generally used as the liturgical language in the Lemko area. It is estimated that there are about one million Orthodox in Poland. The Brazilian Orthodox Eparchy of Polish Church uses Portuguese.

Hierarchy

• His Beatitude Sawa, Archbishop of Warsaw and Metropolitan of All Poland
• His Eminence Simon, Archbishop of Łódź and Poznań
• His Eminence Adam, Archbishop of Przemysl and Nowy Sacz
• His Eminence Jeremiah, Archbishop of Wrocław and Szczecin
• His Eminence Abel, Archbishop of Lublin and Chełm
• His Eminence Chrisóstomo, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro and Olinda-Recife
• His Grace Miron, Archbishop of Hajnówka and auxiliary for the Polish Army. Died in airplane accident April 10, 2010 - Metr. Sawa interim Ordinary of Polish Army.
• His Grace Jacob, Archbishop of Białystok and Gdańsk
• His Grace Ambrósio, Bishop of Recife
• His Grace Gregory, Bishop of Bialy
• His Grace George, Bishop of Siemiatycze
• His Grace Paisios, Bishop of Gorlice

Dioceses

• Diocese of Warsaw-Bielsk
• Diocese of Bialystok-Gdansk
• Diocese of Lublin-Chełm
• Diocese of Wroclaw-Szczecin
• Diocese of Lodz-Poznan
• Diocese of Przemysl-Novy Soncz
• Orthodox Chaplainship of the Polish Army
• Diocese of Rio de Janeiro and Olinda-Recife

See also

• List of Metropolitans of Poland

External links

• Orthodoxy in Poland
• Polish Orthodox Unofficial Website (English and Polish)
• Site of Białystok-Gdańsk Diocese (English and Polish)
• Site of Lublin-Chełm Diocese (Polish)
• Site of Polish Military Ordynariate (Polish)
• Orthodox Church of Brazil (Portuguese)
• "The Polish Orthodox Church" in The Eastern Christian Churches: A Brief Survey (2008) by Ronald Roberson, on the CNEWA website.

Original Orthodox Origins

• Antoni Mironowicz. The Orthodox Church in Poland. Sonca.org. 2010.
• Orthodox England. Orthodox Europe: Poland uncovers its original Orthodoxy.