Polish bishop: Rome must recognize that papal union is not a path to unity

The hierarch of the Polish Orthodox Church, vicar of the Bialystok diocese, Bishop Andrei of Suprasl, said that the RCC must recognize that papal union is not a path to unity. He said this during an interview with journalist Anna Radziukevich, which was published on the Facebook page of Przeglad Prawoslawny.

At the same time, Bishop Andrei recalled that the members of the VI Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue, Orthodox and Roman Catholics, condemned the union.

“Referring to a document issued by a subcommittee from Vienna, we reject Uniatism as a method of seeking unity, since it contradicts the common tradition of our Churches,” the commission’s resolution says.

In addition, the vicar of the Bialystok diocese of the Polish Church drew attention to the fact that Pope Francis is of the same opinion – during his visit to Romania in 2019, he called the unia “a medieval method to which the RCC should not return.”

However, according to Bishop Andrei, the mayor of Suprasl, Radoslav Dobrovolsky, is trying to promote the idea of union in the city by inviting Uniate clergy from neighboring territories to city-wide celebrations.

“I do not think this gesture was motivated by love for the Ukrainian Uniates, because a few weeks after their visit, the mayor of Suprasl opened an exhibition about the Volyn massacre in his city. After that, these clergy never came to Suprasl again. They probably took this gesture as a slap in the face. Now the Uniates come even from Lviv,” says the Polish hierarch.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that, according to the Primate of the Polish Church, the Uniates received the go-ahead to unite with the OCU.