Beati pacifici: quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur»: Релігійний фактор польсько-українського примирення
«Beati pacifici: quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur»: Religious factor in Polish -Ukrainian reconciliation

Summary/Abstract: Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation was one of the most momentous events for the EastCentral Europe in the second half of the 20th century. Religious hierarchs of both nationscontributed a lot to interethnic reconciliation. Polish-Ukrainian rapprochement wasremarkable for particularly involvement of representatives of the Catholic Church into thisprocess and keeping aloof of Orthodox clergy from normalization of Polish-Ukrainianrelations. The recommendations of the Second Vatican Council, encyclicals of Saint JohnXXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II and implementation of the principle “We forgive and areasking for forgivness” created preconditions for interethnic reconciliation. Saint John XXIIIin his encyclical “Pacem in terris” had criticized the idea of peacekeeping by an arms raceand the balance of power doctrine – “real and lasting peace between nations must be basednot on a balance of power but on mutual confidence”. Activities of Pope John Paul II gavea powerful incentive to Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation.The role of Churches as a kind of people’s diplomacy one could resort to increasedwhen complicated interethnic problems weren’t managed to resolve at government level.The most important actions of Rome Catholic and Greek Catholic Churches in behalf ofinterethnic rapprochement were celebration of the 1000th Anniversary of theChristianization of Rus'-Ukraine, Eucharistic Congress in 2003, joint appeals on theoccasion of Volhynian massacre. The achievement of Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation basedon universal values and Christian civilization was an evidence of new European thinkingand significant factor of building of the united Europe.

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