The Holy Council of Bishops of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church reaffirmed its position regarding the ecclesiastical situation that arose following the establishment of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), emphasizing that the matter should be resolved at a Pan-Orthodox Council of the Local Churches.
The decision was taken during the spring session of the Holy Council of Bishops, held on March 10, 2026, in Warsaw under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland.
According to the communiqué issued after the meeting, the Council examined the current situation of Orthodoxy in the contemporary world in light of documents received from several Local Churches, including those of Constantinople, Alexandria, Romania, Greece, Ukraine, and Lithuania.
Reiterating its previously stated position, the Polish Orthodox Church underlined that the ecclesiastical dispute related to the creation of the OCU should be addressed collectively by the entire Orthodox Church through a Pan-Orthodox Council.
The Holy Council also discussed various other matters concerning the life of the Church. Among other decisions, the bishops reviewed reports on the life of the dioceses for 2025, approved reports concerning the monasteries of the Church, and examined the work of the regulatory commission.
In addition, the Council decided that the central celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the return of the Lemkos to Orthodoxy will be held in Gorlice on September 6, 2026, and established a commemorative jubilee medal for the occasion.
The bishops also received a report on the World Orthodox Youth Days, which took place in Lublin in February 2026, and determined that the next gatherings will be held in Gdańsk in 2027 and Wrocław in 2028.
Other decisions included pastoral distinctions granted ahead of Pascha, adjustments to the Church’s financial contributions to ecumenical organizations, and the delegation of representatives to international ecclesiastical celebrations.
The Holy Council also approved the text of the Paschal Message of the Polish Orthodox Church.
