The funeral mass and burial of Poland’s first post-communist Foreign Minister, Krzysztof Skubiszewski, takes place today at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Warsaw’s Old Town.

The mass and burial, at the catacombs in Wilanow, are being attended by top political figures, a representational company of the Polish Army, Warsaw Metropolitan Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz and many others.

“Today, we bid farewell to Professor Krzysztof Skubiszewski, the first foreign minister in the free Republic, an eminent expert in international law, a man who made history as an active participant in processes that changed the face of contemporary Poland and Europe,” wrote President Kaczynski in a letter read during the funeral mass by head of the Presidential Chancellery, Wladyslaw Stasiak.

The late Skubiszewski passed away at 83 years of age in Warsaw on 8 February. (mmj)

 Related Stories: Former Foreign Minister passes away. Thenews.pl. 8 February 2010.