WARSAW, POLAND: November 16, 2018
The Council of Bishops of the Polish Orthodox Church prohibits its clergymen from concelebrating with Ukrainian schismatics

The Polish Orthodox Church does not support the decision by the Constantinople Patriarchate on reestablishing as canonical the Ukrainian schismatics, and has prohibited its clergymen from concelebrating and praying with the latter, as reported in a press release by the Council of Bishops of the Polish Orthodox Church, which convened on November 15, 2018 in Warsaw, presided over by His Beatitude Metropolitan Savva of Warsaw and All Poland.

“The Holy Council of Bishops prohibits clergymen of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church from entering into Liturgical and prayerful contact with ‘clerics’ of the so-called Kiev Patriarchate and the so-called ‘Autocephalous Orthodox Church,’ which have committed much evil in the past,” the press release states.

The document explains that the ecclesiastical situation in Ukraine “has a destructive effect on the life of the entire Orthodox Church.” In the interests of Holy Orthodoxy, the Polish hierarchs confirmed its position as stated in May, 2018, and repeated their call for a Synaxis of Primates.

“Only by observing the dogmatic and canonical norms of the Church, and the preservation of traditions will protect Orthodox Christians from complicated ecclesiastical consequences on a global scale. The Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church lifts its fervent prayers for the unity of Holy Orthodoxy and peace for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” according to the press release.

As a reminder, the Council of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church already made the decision not to recognize the “canonical status” of the Ukrainian schismatics.