Abel (Popławski)

Archbishop of Lublin and Chełm
Church| Polish Orthodox Church
Elected| 1989
Predecessor| Adam (Dubec)
Orders
Ordination| 1979
Consecration| 1989
Personal details
Born| (1958-04-08)April 8, 1958

Narew

Archbishop Abel, (secular birth name Andrzej Popławski; born 8 April 1958, in Narew) is the Archbishop of Lublin and Chełm.

## Biography[edit]

### Youth[edit]

He was born in Narew to an Orthodox family. According to his own memories, his mother, Zofia, and grandmother, Olga, had a significant influence on his future attitude in life. Even before starting school, the future clergyman was entitled to a service at the parish church in Narew.[1]

After finishing primary school, he entered the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Warsaw.[1] After completing his first year of education, he went to the monastery of St. Onuphrius in Jabłeczna, declaring the intention to join the community as an obedient. While continuing his studies in the seminary, he regularly went to Jabłeczna to learn about monastic life.[1] He was also active in the parish of St. Mary Magdalene.[1] After the fourth year of studies at the seminary, he passed his secondary school-leaving examination.[1]

After graduating from the lower classes of the seminary, at the urging of the metropolitan of Warsaw and all of Poland, Bazyli, he accepted the position of psalmist in the parish in Łosinka.[1] In 1977, at his own request, he was dismissed from this function and began studying at the Higher Orthodox Theological Seminary in Jabłeczna.[1]

### Priest[edit]

In 1980 he graduated from the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Jabłeczna. He is also a graduate of the Christian Theological Academy. In 1977, he made his perpetual vows in the monastery of St. Onuphrius in Jabłeczna.[2] On February 15, 1979, he was ordained deacon by the Metropolitan of Warsaw and the whole of Poland, Bazyli,[3] and then ordained a priest by the Bishop of Lublin, Szymon.[3][4]

In the years 1981–1983 he was the parish priest of the Orthodox parish in Komańcza, he also served in Polany and Zyndranowa,[2] where on his initiative a new church was built. In the years 1983–1984 he co-organized the parish in Przemyśl.[2] From 1984 he was the parish priest in Munich, serving also churches in Stuttgart, Ingolstadt, Augsburg, Regensburg, Landshut and Ludwigsburg.[3]

In 1987, he became the superior of the monastery in Jabłeczna,[5] on 7 January 1989, he was awarded the title of archimandrite.[6] As the monastery superior, he continued the renovation of its buildings, begun by his predecessors, the archimandrites Sawa (Hrycuniak) and Nikon (Potapczuk).

### Ordinary of the Lublin-Chełm diocese[edit]

On 25 March 1989, he accepted the episcopal chirotonia and became the ordinary of the newly created Lublin-Chełm diocese. On February 15, 1999, in the cathedral of St. Nicholas in Białystok, he was awarded the Order of the Holy Equal to the Apostles of Mary Magdalene of the 1st degree.[7] In 2001 he was awarded the title of Archbishop.

As the bishop of the Lublin-Chełm diocese, he doubled the number of active Orthodox churches on its territory and led to the establishment of two new monasteries: a female monastery in Turkowice[8] and a male monastery in Kostomłoty.[9]

He represented the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church during official visits and foreign conferences: at the VIII International Russian Council (2004),[10] at the canonization ceremony of Metropolitan Piotr (Mohyla) (2002)[11] and at the enthronement of the Serbian Patriarch Irenej (2010).[12]

He is an advocate of ecumenical dialogue. In 2000, together with the Catholic Archbishop of Lublin, Józef Życiński, he published a message to reunite everything in Christ.[3] He is a co-chairman of the Catholic-Orthodox Bilateral Team.[3]

In 2016, he became a member of the delegation of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church to the Holy and Great Synod of The Orthodox Church.[13]

## Honours and awards[edit]

### Honours[edit]

#### National honours[edit]

* Poland:
* Silver Cross of Merit
* Silver Gloria Artis Medal

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g Z władyką Ablem przez dziesięciolecia. A. Radziukiewicz. 2004. ISSN 1230-1078.
2. ^ a b c Kościół Prawosławny na ziemiach zachodnich i północnych Polski po II wojnie światowej. Stefan Dudra. 2004. p. 32\. ISBN 83-89712-37-7.
3. ^ a b c d e Ślady przeszłości. Historia i teraźniejszość prawosławia na południowo-zachodnim Podlasiu w świadomości społecznej. A. Bobryk, I. Kochan. 2010. p. 15\. ISBN 978-83-62160-02-0.
4. ^ Wiadomości Polskiego Autokefalicznego Kościoła Prawosławnego. 1980. p. 105.
5. ^ "АВЕЛЬ". www.pravenc.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-06-06.
6. ^ Wiadomości Polskiego Autokefalicznego Kościoła Prawosławnego. 1989. p. 84\. ISSN 0239-4499.
7. ^ Jubileusz święceń. p. 4\. ISSN 0867-7476.
8. ^ Cuda Chołmszczyny. A. Radziukiewicz. 2010. p. 6\. ISSN 1230-1078.
9. ^ "Powstał monaster w Kostomłotach". www.lublin.cerkiew.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-06-06.
10. ^ O jedność prawosławia. A. Radziukiewicz. 2004. p. 6\. ISSN 1230-1078.
11. ^ Święty Piotr Mohyła znów w Jassach. W. Skiepko. 2002. ISSN 1230-1078.
12. ^ Intronizacja patriarchy serbskiego. M. Czykwin. 2002. ISSN 1230-1078.
13. ^ "Metropolita Sawa przybył na Kretę". wiadomosci.cerkiew.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-06-06.

Eastern Orthodox Church titles

New title |  Bishop of Lublin and Chełm
1989–2001  | Vacant
New title |  Archbishop of Lublin and Chełm
2001–present  | Incumbent

* Poland portal
* Christianity portal