Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher said reconciliation depends on confronting the truth about the past rather than forgetting it. Speaking at the Polish Embassy to the Holy See, he presented Polish-German reconciliation after World War II as a continuing example of forgiveness, dialogue, and courageous gestures in response to modern conflicts. 1

The Polish-German reconciliation example

Gallagher spoke during the presentation of We Forgive and Ask for Forgiveness, a publication examining the reconciliation process between Poland and Germany. The book takes its title from the message that Poland’s bishops sent to Germany’s bishops in 1965, a landmark initiative made while Europe was still marked by the devastation of World War II. 1

The publication resulted from an academic conference held at the Pontifical Gregorian University the previous year to commemorate the message’s 60th anniversary. Gallagher said the 1965 words retain particular relevance because they combined forgiveness with a request for forgiveness. 1

Truth, dialogue, and Christian forgiveness

Gallagher emphasized that reconciliation is not based on erasing or ignoring historical suffering. He said it requires the courage and trust to face the past truthfully while remaining open to sincere dialogue. 1

He also presented reconciliation as a specifically Christian gift, referring to Saint Paul’s teaching that, through Christ, God reconciled humanity to himself. Gallagher said the Polish and German bishops’ example offers a model for the present and future, when new divisions and conflicts continue to emerge. 1

The archbishop thanked the Polish and German Embassies to the Holy See for helping preserve the memory of the bishops’ initiative and for maintaining attention to its contribution to postwar European reconciliation. 1

Calls for new gestures

Polish Ambassador Adam Kwiatkowski said the example was especially significant for Poland and Germany. He described the event as the final gathering he was organizing before returning to Poland and called for more courageous decisions, respect, gratitude, and willingness to reach across existing differences. 1

German Ambassador Bruno Kahl said reconciliation is difficult but possible, adding that someone must take the first step. He expressed hope that the publication would encourage institutions and influential individuals to support initiatives aimed at overcoming hatred, violence, and war. 1

Memory and continuing results

Dr. Andrzej Jerie, director of the “Remembrance and Future” Centre in Wrocław and initiator of the anniversary commemorations, said the book records activities connected with the 60th anniversary of the bishops’ letter. He described those activities as evidence of concrete progress in Polish-German relations. 1

Jerie highlighted comments by Bundestag member Knut Abraham, who said that commemorations in Wrocław had contributed to the German parliament’s nearly unanimous decision to fund a Polish House and a monument to Polish victims of World War II in Berlin. 1

The gathering was attended by Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, Apostolic Nuncio to Poland; former Polish Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka; Father Marek Inglot, president of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences; and more than a dozen ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions accredited to the Holy See. 1*