By Kang Hyun-kyung
| Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Majka / Courtesy of Polish Embassy in Seoul |
But fewer stories have been told about a group of people who initiated the peace process on the victims' side despite immense domestic pressure.
Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Majka says his country's Catholic Church leaders are the unsung heroes who contributed greatly to Polish-German reconciliation by forgiving their German friends when a hostile atmosphere still dominated society.
"A letter from the Polish bishops to their German counterparts in November 1965 was an important step toward reconciliation between the two countries," Ambassador Majka told The Korea Times last week.
The envoy said that the letter, in which the Polish bishops declared, "We forgive and ask for forgiveness" for the crimes of World War II, later became "a milestone in Polish-German relations."
In the letter, Polish bishops invited their German counterparts to the 1,000th anniversary celebration of Poland finding Christianity in 966. The bishops asked for cooperation not only with Catholics, but also with Protestants.
Majka recalled that back then, the Polish state regarded the proposal as treason.
He said there was a sweeping belief in society that the Polish people were World War II victims.
Nearly six million Polish people perished during the war. Most were civilian victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity when Nazi Germany and the former Soviet Union occupied the country.
"In 1965 I was a schoolboy, but I remember a strong hysterical reaction from the communist authorities of Poland," Majka said. "Without knowing exactly why, school children like me were encouraged to join the condemnation of the Catholic Church and bishops for their conciliatory gesture."
Power of forgiveness
In retrospect, however, Ambassador Majka said the ground-breaking gesture opened a new horizon.
"The case of Polish bishops provides an important lesson for others," he said. "It also showed that even one-sided conciliatory action could have a powerful effect."
His remarks were construed as meaning that not only aggressors but also victims can initiate reconciliation and that the impact of a victims-led peace initiative can be tremendous.
The envoy shared the Polish lesson at a time that historical disputes regarding Japan's wartime crimes continue to cause tensions between Seoul and Tokyo.
The Japanese education ministry's recent approval of a local publisher's request to remove details of Japan's aggressive nature from three textbooks angered Koreans who were told about it.
The latest development of the Japanese right wing as a denier of history is in stark contrast to Europe's diplomatic landscape.
Despite persistent tensions in East Asia, Ambassador Majka remained optimistic about Korea-Japan reconciliation.
"Achieving reconciliation is very difficult and challenging but Korea and Japan can do it," he said.
The envoy noted that the role of politicians also counted.
He said the silent apology by then German chancellor Willy Brandt on Dec. 7, 1970 in front of the memorial monument commemorating victims of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising was another key event that facilitated Polish-German reconciliation.
"In Polish perception, Brandt kneeling to pay a tribute to the Polish victims was a beginning of a trust-building process in practical terms and opened the way for other positive manifestations and statements," he said.
"[Then] prime minister Tadeusz Mazowiechki and [then] chancellor Helmut Kohl attended the holy mass in Krzysowa in November 1989 and their friendly embrace was widely reported by the international media as sealing a new era in Polish-German relations."
The envoy noted the joint textbook commission and youth exchanges also played an important role in narrowing perceptions of the younger generation.
In 1991, Poland and Germany signed the Polish German Treaty of Good Neighborship and Friendly Cooperation.
The Polish envoy noted that it would be an exaggeration to portray Polish-German relations as tension-free, perfectly harmonious and peaceful.
"But both countries are pragmatic and have their interests," he said. "It is important to note that political elites of the two countries understand reconciliation as an instrument for managing their differences in a constructive manner."