Polish Church to сanonize martyrs executed during World War II

Hierarchs of the Polish Orthodox Church. Photo: Polski Autokefaliczny Kościół Prawosławny

On March 18, 2025, in Warsaw, under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland, the Spring Session of the Episcopal Council of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church was held, with all bishops in attendance. According to the official website orthodox.pl, the decision to canonize the Katyn Martyrs was described as a "very important and special event."

The final resolution emphasized that throughout its history, the Church has endured persecution and oppression. "However, it is always strengthened by the martyrdom of Christ's faithful disciples. Every drop of a martyr’s blood helps build a new Orthodox ecclesiastical life," the document states.

"Today, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of autocephaly, recall the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325, and mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II; based on Sacred Tradition, having studied materials on the lives and deaths of our brothers and sisters who perished in Katyn and other places of suffering and deportation: The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church, in the name of the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – declares them saints and inscribes them in the diptych of saints of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church:

• Protopresbyter Colonel Simon Fedorenko
• Archpriest Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Romanovsky
• Archpriest Major Wlodzimierz Ohab

Clergy and laity, both known and unknown, whose names are known only to Almighty God," the Polish Church decreed.

The canonization ceremony of the Katyn Martyrs is scheduled for September 17, 2025, which will become the official day of their liturgical commemoration.

As previously reported by the UOJ, the Romanian Church recently canonized 16 contemporary saints.

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