Holy Synod of the Polish Catholic Church in Poland
The Holy Synod of the Polish Catholic Church (Kościoł Polskokatolicki) was held of June 18th in Konstancin near Warsaw, Poland. The Holy Synod is the highest legislative authority of the Church and is held every five years. Delegates to the Holy Synod, two priests and two lay people, are elected from all the deaneries in the dioceses of the Church. Outgoing members of the Synodal Council are also delegates.
The Most Rev. Anthony Mikovsky, Prime Bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church in the United States and Canada attended the Holy Synod as a guest along with Rt. Rev. Paul Sobiechowski, Bishop Ordinary of the Eastern Diocese and the Very Rev. Gregory Młudzik.
Prime Bishop Mikovsky offered wishes for fruitful synodal discussions and reaffirmed the brotherly unity between the Polish National Catholic Church in the USA and Canada and the Polish Catholic Church in Poland. While each Church maintains independence of jurisdiction and a separate administration there is full communion between the Churches and a common understanding of faith and morals in complete fraternity. The Polish Catholic Church is the only Church in Poland recognized by and in union with the PNCC. Prime Bishop Mikovsky and Most Rev. Wiktor Wysoczański, head of the Polish Catholic Church, emphasized this unity in their speeches before the Holy Synod.
The Holy Synod elected new leadership for the Church for the term 2013-2018:
- Bp. prof. zw. dr. hab. Wiktor Wysoczański was unanimously elected to the office of President of the Church and Chairman of the Synodal Council;
- Members of the Synodal Council;
- The Audit Committee;
- The Bishop’s Court; and
- The Financial and Economic Commission.
The Holy Synod failed to elect Bishops for the dioceses of Kraków-Częstochowa and Wrocław by the necessary two-thirds margin.
The Holy Synod adopted a policy paper on the pastoral and missionary nature of the Church presented by Very Rev. Antoni Norman as well as resolutions and provisions relating to the activities of Polish Catholic Church in Poland through June 2018.