At the Second Vatican Council, one could also feel a certain kind of love for Christians all over the world. The ecumenical nature, which appeared very important to us, was emphasized. And then the initiative of Bishop Kominek was raised – the initiative of the Letter of Reconciliation that the Polish bishops issued to their German brothers at the end of the Council.

This was a truly happy moment. […] it was extremely brave for the Polish bishops to say: “we forgive and we ask for forgiveness.” Because of this, the Polish bishops had to accept in their country something more than just criticism from the political side. How is it thus? What should we Poles apologize for?

Are we really supposed to forgive? What the bishops expressed was decisive for the entire reconciliation process, which led to the year 1970 and then to the conference in Helsinki in 1975. We are and we remain full of respect and gratitude for this initiative.