The annual meeting of President Andrzej Duda and his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda with representatives of churches and religious associations present in Poland and the Joint Commission of the Government and National and Ethnic Minorities was held at the Presidential Palace.

The following guests spoke during the ceremony: Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz – Metropolitan of Warsaw, Bishop Andrzej Malicki – President of the Polish Ecumenical Council, Michael Schudrich – Chief Rabbi of Poland, Tomasz Miśkiewicz – President of the Muslim Religious Union in the Republic of Poland, and Grzegorz Kuprianowicz – Co-Chairman of the Joint Commission of the Government and National and Ethnic Minorities.

“Thank you for co-creating our nation through your presence, daily work and spiritual service to your compatriots”, said Andrzej Duda speaking during the ceremony. As he pointed out, the Polish nation is a community of people who treat Poland as their homeland, love our tradition and everything that is Polish regardless of origin, ethnic roots, religion, and ideals.

The President stressed that in recent years there has been a lot of social unrest due to fear for the future and security, due to the war in Ukraine. He pointed out that Poles were welcoming refugees fleeing Russian aggression into their homes, giving support, heart and daily assistance.

“This is another human being who deserves fraternity, respect, who deserves support in the difficult situation they find themselves in, without questions about who they are, where they came from or why,” Andrzej Duda said.

The President stressed that such an attitude is due to the representatives of Churches and religious associations, who pass on to Poles “such an understanding of fraternity, community and approach to another human being”.

Andrzej Duda thanked for tolerance and co-responsibility. ‘We are able to carry these hardships thanks to your attitude and service towards the other, spiritual and leadership skills”, he said.

Adrian Andrzejewski