Orthodoxy in Poland

The Feast in Jableczna Monastery, Poland author jarek (source: orthphoto.net)

The Holy Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church (Polish Orthodox Church) gained its autocephalous status from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1924, however, the Orthodox Church has been indigenous to Poland and its border regions  since the IXth century when Saints Cyril and Methodios as missionaries were sent to evangelize the Slavs.

At present the Polish Orthodox Church represents about half a million Orthodox Christians in Poland – according to Central Statistical Office almost 510 000 worshippers. The Polish Orthodox Church is thus the second largest confession in Poland (after the Roman Catholic Church).  Although today Orthodoxy in Poland is a minority it’s mainly concentrated in the eastern part of the country – it remains the inheritor of a very rich tradition formed at the meeting place of two grate cultures – Latin and Eastern.

The primate of the Polish Orthodox Church is His Beatitude, the Metropolitan of Warsaw and All of Poland.  The Polish Orthodox Church has seven dioceses in Poland, including one diocese providing chaplaincy for the Polish Military Services.  There are eight Orthodox monasteries (5 male and 3 female) in Polish with over a hundred monks and nuns. Furthermore, the Polish Orthodox Church maintains several dioceses and parishes outside of Poland, in Portugal, Spain, Brazil and Italy.

The structure of Polish Orthodox Church is  very developed with schools, many centers of social care and old age homes, as well as,  Centers of Orthodox Culture and Fellowship of Orthodox Youth with complex organizational structure.

Situated at the cultural frontier, the Polish Orthodox Church, has constantly carried on a dialogue with different confessions and proved that variety is enriching. Today it is an active participant of ecumenical and  international initiatives as a member of the World Council of Churches, the European Council of Churches, the Polish Council of Churches, Theobalt, the Baltic Ecumenical Council, and the Theological Dialogue Commissions with the Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, Anglican, Evangelical Lutheran and other churches.

Anna Radziukiewicz "Prawosławie w Polsce"

Source:  www.orthodox.pl