Ecumenical meeting at the President’s Palace
The President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, held a meeting in the Palace with the representatives of the churches and religions present in Poland.
The President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, held a meeting in the Palace with the representatives of the churches and religions present in Poland. “The member churches of the Polish Ecumenical Council do not live in a vacuum but they contribute to the creation of Polish society. Everything that happens in Poland affects also the members of our communions”, said in his speech bishop Jerzy Samiec, president of the Polish Ecumenical Council and the head of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland.
Bishop Jerzy Samiec reminded also that the year 2017 is a special one for the Polish Lutherans and evangelicals due to the fact that this is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. “I would like to express my gratefulness to Mr. President for accepting the honorary patronage over the central celebrations of the Jubilee in Warsaw. At the same time I would like to inform that the regional parliaments of three Polish voivodeships declared this year the Year of the Reformation. These are the regional parliaments of the Silesian, Lower Silesian and Warmian-Masurian voivodeships.”
Bishop Samiec reminded also that despite the correct way of submitting the motion, supported by the representatives of various political fractions, the Sejm did not enter into discussion of declaring the year 2017 the Year of the Reformation.
Similarly as it was during the new year’s meeting of the Polish Ecumenical Council, bishop Jerzy Samiec paid his attention to the growing radicalization in the society. “We would really appreciate, and promise our support, if Mr. President would reprimand the people on high positions in the society, especially politicians and journalists, not to give in to emotions and to weigh their words.”
President Andrzej Duda, in response to the bishop’s appeal, expressed his gratitude for the clergy of various Christian and religious denominations and their contribution in proclaiming tolerant attitudes, underlining their influence on the level of social debate. He also encouraged to react in such situations where the boundaries of mutual respect are crossed. “In Poland we have a great ecumenical tradition, hundreds of years where various religions were influencing what we now call Polish mentality, our identity and our culture”, president Duda reminded.
Except bishop Jerzy Samiec, short speeches were given also by the President of the Polish Episcopate, Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, the Chief Rabbi of Poland, Michael Schudrich, and mufti Tomasz Miśkiewicz, the representative of the Muslim Religious Association in Poland.