Forgiveness and history

The century-long history of cruel fratricidal struggles that afflicted Europe and notably the lands to the East of the Rhine River ascribe momentous significance to the first visit to Poland of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill. Moreover, the true value of the visit (August 16-17) emerges only when it is set against the feelings that for over a millennium contributed to the formation of the collective memory of the Russian and Polish populations, fomenting divisions that still linger on. During the Angelus prayer of August 19 Benedict XVI hailed the visit to Poland by Patriarch Kirill as “an important event, which raises great hopes for the future”. Also the president of the Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe, cardinal Peter Erdo, commending the Message in a letter to the two co-signatories, Patriarch Kirill and the president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference Msgr. Jozef Michalik, said: “We give thanks to God for this exemplary declaration and we hope that it may help all of Europe in the promotion of true human and Christian values. At a time when major spiritual and social confusion is affecting our Continent as a whole, your statement raises great hopes. It testifies to the fact that Jesus Christ is our source of peace and reconciliation”.Commenting on the visit of the Russian Patriarch to Poland, the president of the Synod Department for Information of the Russian Orthodox Church Vladimir Legojda said: “In the history of Russian-Polish relations it’s hard to identify a truly propitious moment for such gesture. Even today it can’t be said that mutual relations are without “shadows”, but the Patriarch’s decision to undertake the visit sprang from a “profound yearning to put an end to century-long hostilities, marked by suspicions and disagreements between the two neighbouring countries”. Legojda, commending the fact that the Patriarch’s yearning has been welcomed by the Polish Bishops’ Conference, pointed out that “the visit is an attempt to change mutual relations whilst establishing the conditions for their improvement”.Moreover, the true value of the joint Message is contained in the claim on the pre-eminence of forgiveness over the sins that each party recalls and interprets in different ways, as highlighted in the Pater Noster prayer contained in the document. But the time to move on to the next phase – namely authentic forgiveness – is yet to come, said Msgr. Henryk Muszynski, as it entails the full acknowledgement of the misdeeds by the civil societies of both countries. In the case of Polish-German  reconciliation after World War Two the respective episcopates released a joint document pleading and offering “forgiveness” no earlier than August 25 2009, almost half a century after the historical Letter co-signed by the Polish and German bishops (in 1965) which inspired it.”With the decision that the Message will be read in all churches the Polish episcopate has made clear that we are all tasked with the building of understanding and reconciliation with Russia,” wrote Tomasz P. Terlikowski. “It won’t be an easy process, but it’s necessary – he remarked – as on it depends the possibility of winning the battle against the civilization of death, as well as – as Westerna and Eastern Christians – our joint battle against nihilism, as it complies with the Christianity we all profess”.The joint sign of the two Churches is a precious, momentous benchmark for the populations of the two countries, identifying reconciliation in the name of their future and of historical truth.  From this perspective the Message transmits also to Europe an appeal and an encouragement to recover the reasons and the force to fulfil its vocation to solidarity, peace and justice, present in the Christian roots of the European Continent.