Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Aleksandr Grigoryev (talk | contribs) at 18:34, 31 December 2023 (→Original dioceses). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church
Polski Autokefaliczny Kościół Prawosławny
Coat of arms
Classification	Eastern Orthodox
Primate	Archbishop of Warsaw and Metropolitan of All Poland, Sawa Hrycuniak.
Bishops	12
Dioceses	8
Deaneries	28
Parishes	278
Language	Polish Church Slavonic
Headquarters	Warsaw, Poland
Territory	Poland
Founder	Ss. Cyril and Methodius
Independence	1924, 1948
Recognition	Autocephaly recognised in 1924 by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and in 1948 by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Members	504,400 (2016)
Official website	www.orthodox.pl

Part of a series on the
Eastern Orthodox Church
Mosaic of Christ Pantocrator, Hagia Sophia
Overview
Structure Theology (History of theology) Liturgy Church history Holy Mysteries View of salvation View of Mary View of icons
Background Crucifixion / Resurrection / Ascension of Jesus Christianity Christian Church Apostolic succession Four Marks of the Church Orthodoxy
Organization Autonomy Autocephaly Patriarchate Ecumenical Patriarch Episcopal polity Canon law Clergy Bishops Priests Deacons Monasticism Degrees Bratstvo
Autocephalous jurisdictionsAutocephalous Churches who are officially part of the communion: Constantinople Alexandria Antioch Jerusalem Russia Serbia Romania Bulgaria Georgia Cyprus Greece Poland Albania Czech Lands and Slovakia North Macedonia Autocephaly recognized by some autocephalous Churches de jure: America Autocephaly and canonicity recognized by Constantinople and 3 other autocephalous Churches: Ukraine (OCU) Spiritual independence recognized by Georgian Orthodox Church: Ukraine (UOC)
Autonomous jurisdictions Sinai Finland Estonia (EP) Japan (MP) China (MP) Americas (RP) Bessarabia (RP) Moldova (MP) Semi-Autonomous: Crete (EP) Estonia (MP) ROCOR (MP)
Episcopal assemblies Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania Austria Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg Canada France Germany Great Britain and Ireland Italy and Malta Latin America Scandinavia Spain and Portugal Switzerland and Liechtenstein United States of America
Noncanonical jurisdictions Old Believers Spiritual Christianity True Orthodoxy Catacomb Church Old Calendarists American Orthodox Catholic Church American World Patriarchs National churches: Abkhazia Belarus Italy Latvia Montenegro Turkey UOC–KP Evangelical Orthodox
Ecumenical councils First Seven Ecumenical Councils: First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Other possible ecumenical councils: Eighth Ninth Other important councils: Quinisext Council Jassy Moscow Jerusalem Constantinople (1872)
History Church Fathers Pentarchy Byzantine Empire Christianization of Georgia Christianization of Bulgaria Christianization of Kievan Rus' Great Schism Russia Ottoman Empire North America Moscow–Constantinople schism 15th–16th c. 1996 2018
Theology History of Eastern Orthodox theology (20th century (Neo-Palamism)) Apophaticism Chrismation Contemplative prayer Essence vs. Energies Hesychasm Holy Trinity Hypostatic union Icons Metousiosis Mystical theology Nicene Creed Nepsis Oikonomia vs Akribeia Ousia Palamism Philokalia Phronema Sin Theosis Theotokos Differences from the Catholic Church Opposition to the Filioque Opposition to papal supremacy
Liturgy and worship Divine Liturgy Divine Services Akathist Apolytikion Artos Ectenia Euchologion Holy Water Iconostasis Jesus Prayer Kontakion Liturgical entrances Liturgical fans Lity Memorial service Memory Eternal Omophorion Eastern Orthodox bowing Eastern Orthodox marriage Praxis Paraklesis Paschal greeting Paschal Homily Paschal troparion Prayer rope Prosphora Russian bell ringing Semantron Sign of the cross Sticheron Troparion Vestments Use of incense
Liturgical calendar Paschal cycle 12 Great Feasts Other feasts: Feast of Orthodoxy Intercession of the Theotokos The four fasting periods: Nativity Fast Great Lent Apostles' Fast Dormition Fast
Major figures Athanasius of Alexandria Ephrem the Syrian Basil of Caesarea Cyril of Jerusalem Gregory of Nazianzus Gregory of Nyssa John Chrysostom Cyril of Alexandria John Climacus Maximus the Confessor John of Damascus Theodore the Studite Kassiani Cyril and Methodius Photios I of Constantinople Gregory Palamas
Other topics Architecture Folk Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs Eastern Orthodox cross Saint titles Statistics by country
v t e

The Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church (Template:Lang-pl), commonly known as the Polish Orthodox Church, or Orthodox Church of Poland, is one of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches in full communion. The church was established in 1924, to accommodate Orthodox Christians of Polish descent in the eastern part of the country, when Poland regained its independence after the First World War.

In total, it has approximately 500,000 adherents (2016). In the Polish census of 2011, 156,000 citizens declared themselves as members.

History

Early period of Russian Orthodoxy: 1793-1905

Following partitions of Poland and annexation of Polish territory by the Imperial Russia, the administration of Eastern Orthodox communities was carried out by the vicar bishop of Pereyaslav and Boryspil of the Kyiv Eparchy with residence in Slutsk. The Eastern Orthodox population on territory of modern Poland was very scarce at that time. In 1825 the administration was switched to the bishop of Minsk and in 1827 - the bishop of Volhynia.

In 1834 there was established a post of the vicar bishop of Warsaw of the Volhynian eparchy. Establishment of the post was partially due to the 1830-31 Polish uprising (so called November Uprising). The idea to create the post of the vicar bishop of Warsaw belonged to the Namiestnik of Poland and Serence Prince of Warsaw Ivan Paskevich. By 1834 in Vistula Land existed at least 6 parochial Orthodox temples and the Saint Onuphrius Monastery in Jabłeczna. The first bishop became Antoni (Rafalski) who was an archimandrite of the Pochaiv Lavra. The new vicar bishop was not only subordinated to the Volhynian eparchy, but also directly to the ober-procurator of the Holy Synod.

Starting since 1783, on territories that were annexed in 1793, there were established Minsk Eparchy, Bratslav Eparchy, and Izyaslav Eparchy. In 1939 there was established the eparchy of Wilno and Lithuania following the 1939 Polotsk Assembly which liquidated Uniate Church on territory of the Imperial Russia. In 1840, the former Warsaw vicariate was transformed into a separate eparchy of Warsaw covering the whole Congress of Poland.

Transitional period: 1905-1924

Following the 1905 revolution in the Imperial Russia, Tsar issued the manifest “On strengthening the principles of religious tolerance” which gave start to revival of Catholicism. Several parishes en masse were switching back to the Uniate Church.

With start of the World War I, in 1915 the Russian Church in Poland was evacuated along with the Russian administration. On territory of what it was "Warsaw Eparchy" remained about 10 priests. The last archbishop of Warsaw Nicholas (Ziorov) died soon after evacuation and during the remaining time of World War I, the diocese was vacant.

Following the 1917–18 Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow finally appointed a new bishop to the eparchy of Warsaw whom was Seraphim (Chichagov). Seraphim (Chichagov) was never able to actually arrive to his appointed diocese due to unstable situation. To fix that in September of 1921, the Archbishop of Minsk George (Yaroshevsky) was appointed as Patriarchal Exarch in Poland.

First period of the autocephalous church: 1924-1939

The church was established in 1924 after Poland regained independence, as the Second Polish Republic, following World War I in 1918. After the Polish–Soviet War and the Treaty of Riga of 1921, Poland secured control of a sizeable portion of its former eastern territories previously lost in the late-18th-century Partitions of Poland to the Russian Empire. Eastern Orthodoxy was widespread in the eastern provinces of interwar Poland. The loss of an ecclesiastical link, due to the persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union, left the regional clergy in a crisis, and in 1924 the Ecumenical Patriarchate took over, establishing several autonomous churches on territories of the new states that were formerly wholly or partially part of the Russian Empire: Finland, the Baltic states, and Poland. In 1922 a conflict ensued due intervention of the Russian Orthodox Church that approved appointment of bishops in Poland without agreement from Metropolitan of Warsaw George (Yaroshevsky). The conflict was led by the Bishop of Wilno and Lida Eleutherios. Earlier, in January 1922, the Polish government had issued an order recognizing the Orthodox church and placing it under the authority of the state. At that time a Ukrainian, George (Yaroshevsky), was appointed Metropolitan and exarch by the patriarch of Moscow. When Yaroshevsky began to reject the authority of Moscow Patriarchate, he was assassinated by a Russian monk. Nonetheless, his successor, Dionizy (Waledyński), continued to work for the autocephaly of the Polish Orthodox church, which was finally granted by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in his Tomos of 13 November 1924. Most of the parishioners were Ukrainians and Belarusians living in the eastern areas of the newly independent Polish Second Republic. The Patriarch of Constantinople has the only canonical basis to grant the Tomos to new autocephalous churches. Moscow Patriarchate interpretes this otherwise though and considers itself being a successor of the Kyiv Metropolia, the former territory of Kyivan Rus' which Constantinople continued to see as its canonical territory (having agreed to allow Moscow to be its caretaker in 1686). The Russian Orthodox Church at the time did not recognise Constantinople's granting of Polish autocephaly. See History of Christianity in Ukraine#Territories gained by Pereyaslav Rada.

During the interwar period, however, the Polish authorities imposed severe restrictions on the church and its clergy. In the most famous example, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Warsaw was destroyed in the mid-1920s. In Volhynia a total of 190 Eastern Orthodox churches were destroyed and a further 150 converted to Catholicism. Several court hearings against the Pochaiv Lavra also took place.

World War II: 1939-1944

Following the start of the World War II on 1 September 1939 and the Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September 1939, Poland was divided between the Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. For support of resistance against the Nazi Germany, the Metropolitan Dionisius was arrested, while the Church territories (dioceses) were mostly taken over by the Moscow Patriarchate and the rest were transferred under temporary administration by the Metropolitan of Berlin Seraphim (Lade) of the ROCOR, who also was assisted by Vasily (Pavlovsky). At the end of 1940, Metropolitan Dionisius signed a loyalty declaration for the General Governor of Poland Hans Frank and was released from his arrest. On 30 September 1940 the Bishop Council of the Polish Orthodox Church led by Metropolitan Dionisius reformed the Church considering the new realities and constituted new dioceses which were 3: Diocese of Warschau and Radom, Diocese of Cholm and Podlachia, Diocese of Krakau and Lemkos.

Since 1945

After the Second World War, the pre-war eastern territories of Poland were annexed by the Soviet Union and included within the Lithuanian, Byelorussian and Ukrainian SSRs. The annexed territories contained up to 80% of the PAOC's parishes and congregation, which were united with the recently re-instated Moscow Patriarchate. The remaining parishes that were now on the territory of the Polish People's Republic were kept by the PAOC, including most of the mixed easternmost territories such as around Chełm and Białystok. In 1948, after the Soviet Union established political control over Poland, the Russian Orthodox Church recognised the autocephalous status of the Polish Orthodox Church.

Although most of the congregation is historically centered in the Eastern borderland regions with considerable Belarusian and Ukrainian minorities, there are now many parishes across the country, as a result of Operation Vistula and other diaspora movements. There are also some adherents in Brazil, resulting from the 1989 canonical union between the hierarchy headed by Metropolitan Gabriel of Lisbon, formerly under the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece, and the Polish Orthodox Church. The European bishops, however, have left the jurisdiction in 2000, which eventually resulted in senior Bishop Chrysostom being raised to archepiscopal dignity. There are now parishes in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Pernambuco and Paraíba, plus a mission in Ceará and a monastery in João Pessoa.

In 2003, following the decision of the Holy Sobor of Bishops of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church, the New Martyrs of Chelm and Podlasie suffering persecution during the 1940s were canonized.

Primates of the Church

The Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church was established in 1924. Traditionally the primate of the church has the title Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland.

• Metropolitan George (Grzegorz Jaroszewski) – Metropolitan of Warsaw (1921–1923), Russian Patriarchal Exarch in Poland (Predecessor for establishment of the structure of Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church)
• Metropolitan Dionysius (Konstanty Waledyński) – Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland (1923–1948)
  • locum tenens Timotheus (Szretter) (1948–1951)
• Metropolitan Macarius (Michał Oksijuk) – Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland (1951–1959)
• Metropolitan Timotheus [pl] (Jerzy Szretter) – Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland (1961–1962)
  • locum tenens George (Korenistov) (1962–1965)
• Metropolitan Stephen [pl] (Stepan Rudyk) – Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland (1965–1969)
  • locum tenens George (Korenistov) (1969–1970)
• Metropolitan Basil [pl] (Włodzimierz Doroszkiewicz) – Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland (1970–1998)
• Metropolitan Sabbas (Michał Hrycuniak) – Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland (1998–present)

Administration

The church is headed by the Archbishop of Warsaw and Metropolitan of All Poland: Sawa (Michał) Hrycuniak (1998–). It is divided into the following dioceses:

Archdioceses and archbishops

• Archdiocese of Warsaw and Bielsk: Sawa (Hrycuniak)
• Archdiocese of Białystok and Gdańsk: Jakub (Kostiuczuk) (2008–)
• Archdiocese of Łódź and Poznań: Atanazy (Nos) (2017–)
• Archdiocese of Wrocław and Szczecin: George (Pańkowski) (2017–)
• Archdiocese of Lublin and Chełm: Abel (Popławski) (2001–)
• Archdiocese of Przemyśl and Gorlice: Paisius (Martyniuk) (2016–)
• Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro and Olinda-Recife: Chrysostom (Freire) (1992–)
• Diocese of Recife: Ambrose (Cubas) (1996–)

Titular dioceses and bishops

• Titular Diocese of Supraśl: Gregory (Charkiewicz) (2008–), Vicar Bishop for Białystok and Gdańsk
• Titular Diocese of Siemiatycze: George (Mariusz) Pańkowski (2007–), Ordinary for the Polish Orthodox Military Ordinariate and Vicar Bishop for Warsaw and Bielsk

Other entities

• Polish Orthodox Military Ordinariate

Original dioceses

Dioceses and bishops upon the issue of the tomos in 1924

• Diocese of Warsaw and Chełm (ruling): Dionizy (Waledyński)
  • vicar of Lublin: Alexander (Inozemtsev)
• Diocese of Wołyń: Dionizy (Waledyński)
• Diocese of Grodno and Nowogródek
• Diocese of Pinsk and Polesie
• Diocese of Wilna and Lida: Theodosius (Feodosiev)

Following the Soviet invasion of Poland, most of dioceses except for Warsaw were annexed by the Moscow Patriarchate as so called Western Exarchate centered in Lutsk. Dionizy (Waledyński) was arrested by the Nazi authorities and was placed under arrest. The rest of territories were given to administration of Seraphim (Lade) of the ROCOR, who also was assisted by Vasily (Pavlovsky).

See also

• Religion in Poland
• Catholic Church in Poland
• Protestantism in Poland
• Eastern Orthodox Communion
• Supraśl Lavra
• Union of Brest
• Reformation in Poland
• Warsaw Icon Museum

References

1. ^ Główny Urząd Statystyczny, Mały Rocznik Statystyczny Polski 2016, Warszawa 2017, tab. 18(80), s. 115.
2. Paweł Ciecieląg, Andrzej Datko, Bożena Łazowska, Piotr Łysoń, Paweł Milcarek, Wojciech Sadłoń: 1050 lat chrześcijaństwa w Polsce. Warszawa: GUS, 2016, s. 73. ISBN 978-83-7027-606-5.
3. ^ ВАРШАВСКОЕ ВИКАРИАТСТВО. www.pravenc.ru (Russian Orthodox Encyclopedia)
4. МИНСКАЯ И ЗАСЛАВСКАЯ ЕПАРХИЯ. www.pravenc.ru (Russian Orthodox Encyclopedia)
5. ВИЛЕНСКАЯ И ЛИТОВСКАЯ ЕПАРХИЯ. www.pravenc.ru (Russian Orthodox Encyclopedia)
6. ^ ВАРШАВСКАЯ ЕПАРХИЯ. www.pravenc.ru (Russian Orthodox Encyclopedia)
7. M. Papierzyńska-Turek, Między tradycją a rzeczywistością. Państwo wobec prawosławia 1918–1939.
8. ^ ЕЛЕВФЕРИЙ. www.pravenc.ru (Russian Orthodox Encyclopedia).
9. ^ Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine, Polish Autocephalous Orthodox church, accessed 2 June 2020.
10. "Tomos". Orthodox Church of America - UAOC - Standing Episcopal Conference of Orthodox Bishops. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
11. "Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: "As the Mother Church, it is reasonable to desire the restoration of unity for the divided ecclesiastical body in Ukraine" - News Releases - The Ecumenical Patriarchate". www.patriarchate.org. Retrieved 2018-10-28.
12. Healy, R. and Dal Lago, E. The Shadow of Colonialism on Europe’s Modern Past.
13. (in Ukrainian) ІСТОРИЧНА ВОЛИНЬ: Спроби ревіндикації луцького Свято-Троїцького собору
14. ^ ДИОНИСИЙ. www.pravenc.ru (Russian Orthodox Encyclopedia).
15. Russian Orthodox Church Department for External Church Relations (14 September 2018). "Statement of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church concerning the uncanonical intervention of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church". Retrieved 17 February 2021.
16. ^ (in Portuguese) Eparquia Ortodoxa do Brasil
17. "Saint John the Precursor Orthodox Church · CE-040, 39 - Patacas, Aquiraz - CE, 61700-000, Brazil".
18. (in Portuguese) Mosteiro Ortodoxo da Dormição da Santa Mãe de Deus
19. J. Charkiewicz, Męczennicy XX wieku. Martyrologia Prawosławia w Polsce w biografiach świętych.
20. Mironowicz, A. (2001). Kościół prawosławny na ziemiach polskich w XIX i XX wieku. Białystok: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku. p. 248. ISBN 83-7431-046-4.
21. (in Polish) Polish Orthodox Church: Adminstracja
22. (in Polish) Orthodox Diocese of Białystok and Gdańsk: Abp Jakub i Bp Grzegorz
23. Феодосий (Феодосиев). www.ortho-rus.ru (Russian Orthodoxy, archived).

External links

• Polish Orthodox Church, official site
• Polish Orthodox Church Unofficial Site (English)
• Polish Orthodox Diocese of Przemyśl-Nowy Sącz (Polish)
• Polish Orthodox Diocese of Lublin-Chełm (Polish)
• Polish Orthodox Diocese of Białystok-Gdańsk (English)
• Polish Orthodox Diocese of Wrocław-Szczecin (Polish)
• Polish Orthodox Military Ordinariat (Polish)
• Polish Orthodox Diocese of Brazil (Portuguese)
• Article by Ronald Roberson on the Polish Orthodox Church on CNEWA website

v t e Eastern Orthodox Church
Autocephalous and autonomous churches of Eastern Orthodoxy
Autocephalous churches	Four ancient patriarchates Constantinople Bartholomew I Alexandria Theodore II Antioch John X Jerusalem Theophilos III Junior patriarchates Russia Kirill Serbia Porfirije Bulgaria Daniil Romania Daniel Georgia Ilia II Autocephalous archdioceses/metropolises Cyprus George III Greece Ieronymos II Albania Anastasios Poland Sawa Czech Lands and Slovakia Rastislav America Tikhon Ukraine Epiphanius North Macedonia Stefan
Autonomous churches	Sinai Finland (Ecumenical Patriarchate) Estonia (Ecumenical Patriarchate) Japan (Moscow Patriarchate) China (Moscow Patriarchate) Ukraine (Moscow Patriarchate) Americas (Romanian Patriarchate) Bessarabia (Romanian Patriarchate) Moldova (Moscow Patriarchate) Semi-autonomous churches Crete (Ecumenical Patriarchate) Estonia (Moscow Patriarchate) Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
Diaspora Assemblies	Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania Austria Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg Canada France Germany Great Britain and Ireland Italy and Malta Latin America Scandinavia Spain and Portugal Switzerland and Liechtenstein United States of America
History	Apostles in the New Testament First seven ecumenical councils Church Fathers Great Church State church of the Roman Empire East–West Schism Raskol Old Believers Catacomb Church Old Calendarists Moscow–Constantinople schisms 15th–16th c. 1996 2018
Liturgy	Byzantine Rite Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom Liturgy of Saint Basil Liturgy of Saint James Liturgy of Saint Mark Western Rite
Other	Unrecognized Eastern Orthodox churches Eastern Orthodoxy by country Canon law of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Christianity portal The ROC severed full communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2018, and later severed full communion with the primates of the Church of Greece, the Patriarchate of Alexandria, and the Church of Cyprus in 2020. ^ Autocephaly or autonomy is not universally recognized. UOC-MP was moved to formally cut ties with the ROC as of May 27th 2022. ^ Semi-autonomous part of the Russian Orthodox Church whose autonomy is not universally recognized.

• Polish Orthodox Church
• Eastern Orthodoxy in Poland
• Eastern Orthodoxy in Europe
• Members of the World Council of Churches
• Christian organizations established in 1924
• Christian denominations established in the 20th century
• Eastern Orthodox organizations established in the 20th century
• 1924 establishments in Poland