Calendar reform in the Orthodox Church in Poland in 1923-1925 Cover Image

Reforma kalendarza w Cerkwi prawosławnym w Polsce w latach 1923 -1925
Calendar reform in the Orthodox Church in Poland in 1923-1925

Author(s): Andrzej Borkowski
Subject(s): Social history, Interwar Period (1920 - 1939), Sociology of Religion
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku
Keywords: Orthodox Church; calendar reform; Second Polish Republic; ecumenical patriarchate; Ministry of Religious Affairs and Public Enlightenment;

Summary/Abstract: The decision to reform the calendar in the Orthodox Church was made by Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory VII. The new style was to beintroduced on March 10, 1924. The patriarch's resolution was met with mixed feelings, opening a period of stormy synodal discussionsin local Orthodox Churches. In Poland, the calendar issue turned into a political problem due to the intervention of governmentauthorities in the internal life of the Church. The Orthodox population treated the above decision as a violation of religious freedoms.The lack of reception of the synodal act of April 12, 1924 regarding the adoption of a new style by Orthodox believers in Poland forcedthe Holy Synod to change its position on this matter. At the meeting of August 16, 1924, the Orthodox episcopate decided to repeal theprevious resolution on the mandatory use of the new style wherever the faithful required it. The issue of the reform of the Churchcalendar has proven that when making such decisions, the Polish government and the Church hierarchy must take into account theposition of the faithful. As a result, the Orthodox Church remained in the old style throughout the country, with the exception of thecapital city of Warsaw.

  • Issue Year: 2024
  • Issue No: 26
  • Page Range: 37-49
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: Polish
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