The traumatic memory of the war and the German occupation, with 6 million dead on the Polish side and millions of Germans expelled from the east after 1945, weighed heavily on the German-Polish relationship. The first secretary of the Polish Communist Party, Wladyslaw Gomulka, spotted an opportunity to weaken the Catholic Church, which at the time was the only real opposition to the Communist system in Poland. But despite this, Polish and German bishops have gathered this week in Wroclaw to commemorate the 60th anniversary of this historic exchange with a ceremony, a Mass, exhibitions, and academic debates — and to lay a wreath on the grave of Bishop Kominek, who initiated the gesture of reconciliation.
Author: Jacek Lepiarz
Published at: 2025-11-19 23:42:00
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