On April 10, Polish President Andrzej Duda will participate in events marking the 15th anniversary of the Smolensk disaster, with ceremonies taking place in both Kraków and Warsaw. The President will attend a Holy Mass at Wawel Cathedral and later lay wreaths at the graves of the victims at the Powązki Military Cemetery in Warsaw. The full schedule of commemorations is outlined below.
Schedule of Commemorations with the Participation of the President of Poland
On Thursday morning, to mark the 15th anniversary of the Smolensk disaster, President Duda will attend a Holy Mass at Wawel Cathedral and lay a wreath at the sarcophagus of the late presidential couple, Maria and Lech Kaczyński, in the Wawel crypt. Following the ceremony, President Duda is expected to make a statement to the media.
Later in the morning, in Warsaw, the President will lay wreaths at the graves of the last President-in-Exile Ryszard Kaczorowski, Fr. Józef Joniec, Fr. Zdzisław Król, and Fr. Andrzej Kwaśnik, as well as at the memorial plaque commemorating the victims of the Smolensk disaster of April 10, 2010, located in the Temple of Divine Providence.
At 1:00 p.m., President Duda will lay wreaths at the Monument to the Victims of the Smolensk Disaster and at the graves of other victims buried at the Powązki Military Cemetery.
He will also light candles at the Monument to the Victims of the 2010 Smolensk Tragedy and at the statue of President Lech Kaczyński on Piłsudski Square. Additionally, he will lay a wreath at the plaque dedicated to Lech Kaczyński inside the Presidential Palace.
In the evening, President Duda and First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda will attend a Holy Mass at the Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw.
On April 10, 2010, a Tu-154M aircraft crashed near Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board. Among the victims were President Lech Kaczyński and First Lady Maria Kaczyńska, top Polish military commanders, and the last President of the Republic of Poland in exile, Ryszard Kaczorowski. The Polish delegation was en route to a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.