A letter from the head of the Polish Orthodox Church to Patriarch Kirill of ‘Moscow and all Rus’ has caused quite a stir, as it appears to signal support for Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
In a region where national churches and religious disputes historically inform geopolitics, it is highly significant that a church from a country with so storied and conflicted relationship with Russia is signaling support for Russia and opposition to the Ukrainian government at this time.
On February 1st, Patriarch Kirill celebrated the 14th anniversary of his enthronement as Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. The letter, written by the Primate of the Polish Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Sawa, to honor the occasion, expresses sympathy for the Russian perspective. It also appears to accuse Ukraine of working to destroy the Russian Orthodox Church, the Polish news outlet Do Rzeczy reports.
“The enemy of the faith does not like the stability of the Church—he tries to destroy it. What happened in Ukraine testifies to this,” Archbishop Sawa wrote, likely referring to the Ukrainian government’s prohibition of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, which many have regarded as a severe infringement on religious freedom.
Contrary to media opinion, the Ukrainian government viewed the move as a drastic but necessary wartime action, since it suspects Orthodox communities and clerics—with links to Moscow—may be promoting pro-Russian positions and actively working with the Kremlin.
Commenting on the matter, Patryk Panasiuk, an expert on the Orthodox Church and the president of the Hagia Marina Foundation, says Metropolitan Sawa’s letter to the Patriarch of Moscow went beyond the normal protocols one would expect on an anniversary of this sort, arguing it is indicative of the close relationship between the two Orthodox prelates.
“I feel embarrassed by this letter, especially since this is another time when the authorities of the Polish Orthodox Church openly stand on the side of the Moscow Patriarchate,” Panasiuk said.
Panasiuk then said:
It seemed to me that at the time of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, there was a change in our Church. I thought that there would be a retreat from the Russian mir [world] and we would turn toward Greece, where Polish and Ukrainian Orthodoxy come from. Unfortunately, the Orthodox Church in Poland is becoming a transmitter of the Moscow Patriarchate’s narrative, especially regarding the autocephalous Church of Ukraine.
This proves that Russia still has devoted people in the Polish Church, who additionally enjoy the umbrella of our hierarchy. However, I am convinced that neither Polish society nor the Orthodox community in Poland is interested in escalating tensions. Despite everything, however, the attitude of our Metropolitan [bishop] can and should be worrying.
Tension has been exacerbated by the decision to feature Archbishop Sawa’s letter on the official website of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow. It was among the few congratulatory letters that came from a figure outside the world of East Slav politics. Others who wrote letters congratulating the patriarch included people expressly from the elite political class of Russia and Belarus, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, and the Speaker of the Russian Duma Vyacheslav Volodin.
Three days later, on February 4th, following intense domestic backlash, Archbishop Sawa admitted that he made a mistake, apologized for his words, and asked for forgiveness.
“In the spirit of the Sunday of Forgiveness of Sins, which is approaching in our Church, I turn to you, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, as well as to all my countrymen: forgive me, a sinner,” he wrote.
Archbishop Sawa added that he did not support Kirill’s pro-Kremlin narrative and position on the Russo-Ukrainian war, and noted that he and the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church (PAKP) “unequivocally support the need for the Orthodox Church in Ukraine to become independent.”
