Polish archbishops criticize demands for WWII-era compensation

Published: 2004-09-24

WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- Two Polish archbishops criticized demands for their country to compensate Germans expelled after World War II, as well as Polish legislators' calls for war damages from Germany. "Many of our countrymen rightly feel pain that displaced Germans have begun to demand war damages from Poland for properties they lost," said Archbishop Jozef Zycinski of Lublin. "But we can't now (seek) claims for new compensation from the Germans. Building the future will require forgiveness and Christian reconciliation," he said. In retaliation for compensation demands by German groups whose families lost property in post-war deportations, the Polish Parliament voted to seek reparations from Germany for Polish wartime losses. Preaching at a Sept. 19 Mass at the former Majdanek concentration camp, Archbishop Zycinski said Germans needed reminding of "how much Poles lost and suffered" during the 1939-45 Nazi occupation. "Such demands aren't just dishonest, but also illogical -- by this reasoning, anyone who goes to war can say 'I'll either win and be victorious, or I'll lose and seek war damages from the people I attacked,'" said the archbishop, whose homily was published by Poland's Catholic information agency, KAI.

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .