50 years later, Polish and German bishops signed up a declaration about the further cooperation basing on the experience of reconciliation during an episcopal conference in Częstochowa on 22 November 2015. They discussed the challenges of the Polish-German reconciliation as well as the current European issues including the refugee crisis and the rise of nationalism.
On this occasion, both presidents – Andrzej Duda and Joachim Gauck – sent a letter to the participants of the bishop conference, in which they stressed the impact of the historical letter exchange between the Polish and German bishops as well as the timeless quality of its message.
“Pastoral letter to the Germans – 50 years later” – a special supplement to Tygodnik Powszechny for the 50th anniversary of the Letter of Reconciliation of the Polish Bishops to the German Bishops, where they declared: "We forgive and ask for forgiveness".
In the latest issue of Tygodnik Powszechny (Polish weekly magazine) you can find a special supplement dedicated to the famous Letter of Reconciliation of the Polish Bishops to the German Bishops that was sent on 18 November 1965.
The supplement includes articles by Adam Boniecki, Ewa Czaczkowska, Cardinal Karl Lehman, Winfried Lipscher, Marek Mutor, Robert Żurek and Jan Rydel, who will discuss the history behind the letter and its influence on politics:
- What hopes regarding the letter did the Polish church leaders have?
- Who was the author of the letter, Archbishop Bolesław Kominek and why did the wrote the famous phrase?
- How was it possible that the letter was considered a radically anti-communist act by both the leader of the People’s Republic of Poland and leaders of opposition?
- In which way did the letter influence the politics?
ENRS is one of the co-publishers of this supplement. An exhibition titled “Reconcilliation in Progress” related to the same topic will be presented in Berlin and in Wrocław from 18 November.