Metropolitan Sawa, (sometimes Sabbas, secular birth name Michał Hrycuniak; born 14 April 1938 in
Śniatycze) is the
Archbishop of
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
and Metropolitan of All Poland, and hence the
Primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...
of the
Polish Orthodox Church
The Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church ( pl, Polski Autokefaliczny Kościół Prawosławny), commonly known as the Polish Orthodox Church, or Orthodox Church of Poland, is one of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches in full communion. Th ...
since 1998, the second largest organized religion in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
.
Sawa was a longtime associate of communist
Służba Bezpieczeństwa
The Ministry of Public Security ( pl, Ministerstwo Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego), commonly known as UB or later SB, was the secret police, intelligence and counter-espionage agency operating in the Polish People's Republic. From 1945 to 1954 it w ...
actively working under name of ''TW Jurek'' during which he cooperated with communist authorities, leading a coordinated campaign both again individual church members and the Orthodox church itself. He supported and worked with communist government for the purpose of advancing his career within the Church.
He is also a professor of
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
. Previously, he was a bishop of
Białystok and
Gdańsk (1981–1998) and
Łódź
Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...
and
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
(1979–1981).
References
1938 births
Living people
People from Zamość County
Ministry of Public Security (Poland) officials
Bishops of the Polish Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Christians from Poland
Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class
Eastern Orthodox bishops in Europe
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