Statement of the President of the Polish Bishops' Conference on the Report on the losses suffered by Poland as a result of German aggression and occupation in 1939-1945

In the Statement, the President of the Episcopate noted that “the issues raised in this report should be considered in the context of the long-standing process of Polish-German reconciliation,” the beginning of which was the 1965 Letter of the Polish Bishops to their German Brothers.

“Years later, we can say that that document proved to be prophetic. It began the process of reconciliation between Poles and Germans, without disregarding the crimes that had been committed, without forgetting the victims, and without closing ourselves in a sense of the harm suffered,” the Statement reads.

Archbishop Gądecki noted that in political life, mercy and forgiveness must be accompanied by prudence and justice. Quoting St. John Paul II, he noted that "there is no contradiction between forgiveness and justice. Forgiveness neither eliminates nor lessens the need for the reparation which justice requires" (Message for the XXX World Day of Peace, January 1, 1997).

"Let it be our common desire, therefore, that the two reconciled peoples, Polish and German, direct their gaze toward a better future," the President of the Polish Bishops' Conference stressed.

Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference

We publish the full text of the Statement:

Statement of the President of the Polish Bishops' Conference
on the Report on the losses suffered by Poland
as a result of German aggression and occupation in 1939-1945

1. In the context of the Report on the losses suffered by Poland as a result of German aggression and occupation in 1939-1945, published on September 1, 2022, I would like to point out that the issues raised in this report should be considered in the context of the many-year process of Polish-German reconciliation.

It was initiated by a Letter of the Polish Bishops to their German Brothers in 1965 (The Message of the Polish Bishops to their German Brothers in Christ's Pastoral Office, November 18, 1965). That year, the Polish bishops wrote: “In this most Christian, but also very human spirit, we reach out our hands to you (...) granting forgiveness and asking for forgiveness.” This letter was quickly recognized as one of the most important peace documents of the time.

Years later, we can say that that document proved to be prophetic. It began the process of reconciliation between Poles and Germans, without disregarding the crimes that had been committed, without forgetting the victims, and without closing ourselves in a sense of the harm suffered.

2. The decades-long Polish-German reconciliation dialogue was conducted in the spirit that St. John Paul II outlined as follows: “Forgiveness, far from precluding the search for truth, actually requires it. The evil which has been done must be acknowledged and as far as possible corrected” (John Paul II, Offer Forgiveness and Receive Peace, Message for the XXX World Day of Peace, January 1, 1997).

However, mercy and forgiveness - especially in political life - must be accompanied by prudence and justice. “There is no contradiction between forgiveness and justice. Forgiveness neither eliminates nor lessens the need for the reparation which justice requires” (John Paul II, ibid.).

The Church's task is to remind people of the value of conversion, forgiveness, and reconciliation. State institutions are called upon to decide on the practical forms of restoring justice. May our common desire, then, be that the two reconciled peoples, Polish and German, direct their gaze toward a better future.

 + Stanislaw Gądecki
Archbishop Metropolitan of Poznań
President of the Polish Bishops' Conference

Warsaw, September 3, 2022

Translated by Sr. Amata J. Nowaszewska CSFN/ the Office for Foreign Communication of the PolishBishops’ Conference