Ukrainian and Polish bishops signed a joint communiqué

As noted in the document, this year marks the tenth anniversary of the historical moment when a joint pastoral message regarding the act of mutual forgiveness and reconciliation dedicated to the year of Eucharist was issued by the UGCC and Polish RCC bishops on June 19 and 25, 2005.

In their communiqué, the bishops are calling to rise above political views and historical events, above religious rites and ethnicities - Ukrainian and Polish ones and say in a loud voice:“We forgive and ask for forgiveness.”

"We express strong hope that the program developed by the contact groups between the Roman Catholic Church of Poland, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine, will be implemented in a partnership between the parishes of two countries in direct communication, exchange of visits and pastoral experience,”goes the communiqué.

"The important thing is also a desire for equitable restitution of church property and the settlement of the issues of ownership of relics,”states the document.

According to the Information Department of the UGCC,the communiqué was affixed by the signatures of  Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki , Metropolitan of Poznan, President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference; Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sviatoslav (Shevchuk); Archbishop MieczyslawMokrzycki, Metropolitan of Lviv, Chairman of the Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops of Ukraine; Archbishop John (Martynyak) Metropolitan of Przemysl-Warsaw of the UGCC.

Source RISU