The gathering was one of several events marking the 60th anniversary of the groundbreaking 1965 pastoral letter, a milestone in post-war Polish-German relations.
The main national celebrations will take place on 18–19 November in Wrocław. Saturday’s meeting in Katowice was jointly organized by the Polish-German Senate Group, the Marshal’s Office of the Silesian Voivodeship, the Upper Silesian Association, the “Zajezdnia” History Center, the Memory and Future Institute, and the Katowice Intelligence Club.
Speaking at the conference, Professor Irena Lipowicz emphasized the courage and foresight of the Polish bishops who initiated the message of reconciliation.
"There are leaders who follow opinion polls, but true leaders of societies and nations do not follow fears and prejudices. They guide people forward, setting great paths and great goals."
Lipowicz, a former Polish Ombudsman, stressed that the Church in Poland demonstrated remarkable moral clarity at that time, choosing reconciliation despite the political risks.
The conference also featured a remarkable presentation: the original manuscript of the 1965 message, discovered only in 2019. This handwritten text, about 80 percent identical to the final version, was drafted by Cardinal Bolesław Kominek, the Archbishop of Wrocław and a native of Radlin in Upper Silesia.
(aj)
SOURCE: PAP; IAR