Theological Foundations of the German-Polish Reconciliation

Bernhard Knorn

Boston College

Abstract

Members of the Christian Churches considerably influenced the German-Polish reconciliation process after the Second World War. This article analyzes the theological statements in important Church documents dealing with German-Polish relations from 1965 until 1995. It integrates these elements into a theology of reconciliation. This highlights the theological background and the religious motivations of the actors and their Christian commitment for facing the past and dealing with it, in order to overcome hatred and enmity between the two nations. The article establishes a theological correlation between the reconciliation with God and social reconciliation. The following sources have been analyzed: The Eastern Memorandum of the Evangelical Church in Germany (1965), the exchange of letters between the Polish and the German bishops (1965), the Bensberg Memorandum (1968), The Declaration of Polish and German Catholics (1989), the homily of Bishop Alfons Nossol during the Kreisau Reconciliation Mass (1989), and the Joint Declaration of the German and Polish Bishops’Conferences (1995).

Keywords:

Reconciliation, Soteriology, German-Polish Relations 1965–1995