Moscow Patriarch Arrives in Poland for Landmark Visit

Marcin Sobczyk
16/8/2012

WARSAW—Patriarch Kirill I on Thursday began his visit to Poland, the first ever by a head of the Russian Orthodox Church in the country once controlled by Moscow.

Polish and Russian bishops are set to sign a joint declaration on Friday by the two nations, seeking reconciliation between the historic foes whose relations remain strained.

“It’s my first visit to a European country that belongs to western European culture after my election as Patriarch of Moscow,” Kirill said soon after arriving at the military airport in Warsaw. “It’s the first visit of a Moscow patriarch in Poland. It gives us the opportunity to meet Orthodox faithful and Catholics in Poland, and talk our lives in past and future.”

The patriarch said he was convinced common Christian roots would help the two nations overcome “misunderstandings.”

“It’s wonderful that Christian culture dominates in both Poland and Russia. This means we have a common foundation for the resolution of questions which arose in the past,” he said.

Already bad after centuries of hostility, Poland’s relations with Russia, its former Soviet-era master, have soured even more since the 2010 airplane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 95 other officials. The plane’s wreckage remains in Russia despite repeat requests by the Polish government to hand it over. Russia’s handling of the investigation into the plane crash has irked Polish officials.

Relations between Poland and Russia bordered on hostile for most of Vladimir Putin’s two terms as Russia’s president in 2000-2008 amid disputes over influence in the post-Soviet countries of Eastern Europe, Poland’s military alignment with the U.S., and business issues.

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