Polish lawmakers said the message—known for its concluding words, "we forgive and ask for forgiveness"—played an "extraordinarily significant role" in building peace between Poles and Germans after World War II.
The resolution passed with 254 votes in favour, one against, and 176 abstentions.
Lawmakers recalled that on November 18, 1965, during the Second Vatican Council, Polish bishops issued letters to the episcopal conferences of 56 countries, inviting them to join commemorations of the millennium of Christianity in Poland.
Among them was what the Polish lower house called the "most groundbreaking" letter, addressed to the German Bishops’ Conference.
The text had been prepared over two years, with Archbishop Bolesław Kominek of Wrocław as its chief author. It was signed by 36 Polish bishops, led by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński.
The resolution noted that the message did not shy away from citing "painful and difficult experiences" in Polish-German history, addressing Poland’s wartime devastation as well as the suffering of millions of German expellees.
“At its conclusion, the letter included the words that opened the path to Polish-German reconciliation: ‘we forgive and ask for forgiveness,’” lawmakers said.
Last month, Polish senators said in a resolution that the 1965 "Letter of Reconciliation" was not only a milestone in Polish-German relations but also contributed to building a sense of European community.
The Polish upper house, the Senate, said the letter, sent on November 18, 1965, just 20 years after the end of World War II and amid the Cold War, "laid out a path for reconciliation based on truth, dialogue and readiness to forgive and acknowledge one's own guilt."
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Source: PAP