The Courage of Reconciliation: Lessons from Poland and Germany โฃin 1965
in the aftermath of unimaginable suffering, the path to peace is rarely straightforward. Raymond J. de Souza’s recent writing highlights a remarkable, and initially controversial, example of this truth:โค the 1965 reconciliation initiative between the Polish and German Catholic Churches. Thisโ act, spearheaded by Polish bishops including Cardinal Stefan โขWyszyลski and than-Archbishop Karol Wojtyลa (the future john Paul II), demonstrated that genuine mercy frequently enough demands both boldness and profound courage.
The initiative centered around a letter of invitation extended to German bishops in November 1965. Just twenty โคyears after the defeat of Nazi Germany, โคthe Polish bishops directlyโค addressed theโ atrocities committed against Poland during โคthe war.Yet, alongside this acknowledgement of immense suffering, they offered a stunning proposition: “We forgive and ask for forgiveness.”
While the German response was largelyโข positive, the invitation sparked significant backlash โwithin Poland. The idea of Poland, the victim of brutalโ aggression, extending aโ request for forgiveness to Germany felt, to manny, like a betrayal of national memory and dignity. The Polish bishops had, underโข decades of Stalinist repression, fiercely โdefended Polish identity and liberty, and this gesture was perceived as โundermining that commitment.
The communist regime swiftly exploited the controversy,launching a โpropaganda campaign designed to fracture the relationship between the Polish people and their Church. Their slogan, “We do not forget andโ we will not forgive!”โค resonated with a โpublic understandably steeped in โคgrief and resentment.
Archbishop Wojtyลa, though, powerfully defended the offer, grounding it in the core tenets โof Christian ethics as found in the Gospels. He pointed โto the German bishops’ acceptance of duty for Germanโ actions andโฃ their own plea for forgiveness as justification for a reciprocal response.
Wojtyลa further articulated a crucial understanding of reconciliation, arguing โthat even across centuries of complex relations,โ it is unlikely that any nationโข exists without something for which to seek mutual forgiveness. โWhile acknowledging theโ vast โdisparity in the offenses committed – German atrocities against Poland far outweighed any polish offenses against Germany – he emphasized thatโฃ the act of โขasking forgiveness,even for lesser wrongs,fundamentally โคalters the dynamic. It shifts the focus awayโ from resentment and retribution,softening hearts โคon both sides and opening the door to a โคtruly renewed relationship.
The Polish bishops faced โa difficult choice. They, like many in Poland, had personally โฃexperienced the horrors โขof the war and lost colleagues to โฃNazi persecution. A continuation of grievance wouldโ have โฃbeen easily โขjustified and widely supported. Yet, โฃthey chose a more challengingโข path, accepting potentialโ criticism and personal cost. โฃ
Though initially met โคwith resistance, their efforts eventually gained โwider acceptance, demonstratingโข aโข remarkable act ofโ moral โคcourage and national leadership. As de souza notes, in a contemporary climate where reconciliation isโ often equated with weakness, the 1965 initiative serves as a potent reminder that it โis, in fact, a profound strength.
A testament to this courage stands in Wrocลaw, a memorial to Cardinal Kominek depicting him with the dove of peace, bearing the inscription in both Polish and German: “We forgive and we ask forgiveness.” It is โขindeed a โrare tribute, de souza points out, to those โขwho build bridges rather than walls, a lesson notablyโฃ relevant in the face of current conflicts and rising global tensions.
