The resolution, passed by acclamation, said the 1965 "Letter of Reconciliation"—known for its words "we forgive and ask for forgiveness"—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, recalled that the letter, sent on November 18, 1965, just 20 years after the end of World War II and amid the Cold War, invited Germany’s Catholic bishops to take part in celebrations of the millennium of Christianity in Poland.
"The document described a thousand years of Polish-German relations, showing that both nations belong to the same European civilization," senators said in the resolution.
"It laid out a path for reconciliation based on truth, dialogue and readiness to forgive and acknowledge one's own guilt," they added.
'We forgive and ask for forgiveness'
The resolution said the letter broke through Cold War divisions and offered "a new model of international order."
It added that "the words 'we forgive and ask for forgiveness' continue to inspire contemporary societies and states across the world."
In 1991, Warsaw and Berlin signed the Treaty of Good Neighbourship and Friendly Cooperation, a milestone agreement that further strengthened bilateral ties and advanced the process of reconciliation decades after Nazi Germany's wartime occupation and devastation of Poland.
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Source: PAP