The Bishops' Council of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church, held on March 18, glorified the martyrs of Orthodox Polish citizens – priests and laity – who were shot during the Second World War in concentration camps in the USSR.
The executions took place in several places, but they were collectively called the "Katyn Massacre" in a place near Smolensk, where mass graves were first discovered.
The official website of the Polish Church has published a statement in which, in particular, it says:
"Today, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Church's independence, we recall the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325, the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II; on the basis of Sacred Tradition, by studying materials concerning the life and death of our brothers and sisters who died in Katyn and other places of death and deportation The
Consecrated Council of Bishops of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church, in the name of the Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – canonizes and adds to the diptych of Saints of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church:
Protopresbyter Colonel Simon Fedoronko,
Archpriest Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Romanovsky,
Archpriest Major Vladimir Okhab,
clergy and laity, whose names we know and do not know, and who only Almighty God knows.
The canonization of the Katyn martyrs will be held on September 17, 2025, and this day will be declared the day of their prayerful commemoration.
We are also called to honor their memory on other days related to their lives (for example, on the days of their patron saints). The decision on this issue is made by the diocesan bishop."
The Council decided to approve the troparion of the Katyn Martyrs, their icon, and inform the Local Churches of their canonization.