Events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Volhynian Tragedy have begun in Warsaw. On July 7th, the Head of the UGCC, Sviatoslav, and Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, the Chairman of the Polish Episcopal Conference, prayed for the victims of the tragedy and signed a joint statement on forgiveness and reconciliation between the Polish and Ukrainian peoples, as reported by the Department of Information of the UGCC.
This was reported by the Information Department of the UGCC.
The forgiveness and reconciliation liturgy took place at the Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw.
"The history of relations between the Polish and Ukrainian peoples is filled with wonderful, good, and heroic deeds, but unfortunately, with complex and dramatic events. These two peoples were baptized almost simultaneously, and although they drew from different Christian traditions - one Latin and the other Byzantine - their baptism took place within the framework of one undivided Church," the statement reads.
The hierarchs note that since 1987, many joint initiatives for reconciliation have been implemented.
"We have openly discussed complex matters, naming, in particular, the Volhynian events of eighty years ago as 'murder and ethnic cleansing, which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of innocent people, including women, children, and the elderly, primarily Poles but also Ukrainians, as well as those who saved neighbors and relatives from danger,'" they write, citing the Declaration of Reconciliation of June 28, 2013.
According to the statement, after the discovery of mass burials in Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel, it is understood how important it is to unambiguously identify the perpetrators, exhume the victims, honor their right to a dignified burial and human memory. The archbishops also emphasized the need to distinguish between two closely related experiences - forgiveness and reconciliation.
"Forgiveness precedes reconciliation," the document states. "Forgiveness is an inner experience. It happens deep in the heart and does not depend on others. Reconciliation, on the other hand, requires the participation of all parties involved in the conflict. It can only be based on mutual forgiveness. Reconciliation can only be built on truth and justice."
The patron saint on the path of Ukrainian-Polish reconciliation is St. John Paul II, who noted in Lviv in 2001 that reconciliation is not about forgetting but about overcoming evil from the past so that "thanks to the purification of historical memory, everyone is ready to prioritize what unites rather than what divides."
His Beatitude Sviatoslav and Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki emphasized the importance of remembering his initiative and personal patronage over the beginning of this process.
"We believe that in these difficult days, we are writing new important pages in the book of reconciliation to be able to build our common future as free with the free and equal with equals," write the Head of the UGCC and the Chairman of the Polish Episcopal Conference in their joint statement on forgiveness and reconciliation.
At the end of the joint prayer, His Beatitude Sviatoslav delivered a word of thanks, expressing pride in the fact that the Catholic Churches are the heart and driving force of the path of mutual reconciliation, forgiveness, and healing wounds of the past. "Reconciliation between our peoples is a process of healing wounds that both Poles and Ukrainians carry in their souls and consciences to this day. Healing pain and trauma is not easy. But as pastors, we have in our hands the balm of the Holy Spirit, which the Lord Jesus, our Savior, left to His apostles, His Church. This balm, which truly heals wounds, is mutual dialogue, forgiveness and reconciliation, as well as prayer - the presence of the Church as a good mother who embraces, accompanies and warms with her warmth those who freeze from this feeling of pain or hatred," the Primate noted.
"Now we can build new relationships that are emerging before our eyes. Now we are building a new memory, which, as Pope Francis says, is a positive memory. And I believe that this is God's gift, which we must use in order not to remain slaves of the past but to build a better future," emphasized the Head of the UGCC.
The commemoration of these sad anniversaries will continue today with the joint pilgrimage of His Beatitude Sviatoslav and Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki from Warsaw to Lutsk. On July 8th and 9th, liturgies with the participation of Ukrainian and Polish bishops will take place in Volhynia.