Letter of Reconciliation of the Polish Bishops to the German Bishops

Among prominent supporters of this letter was Kraków's Archbishop, Karol Wojtyła, who later became Pope John Paul II in 1978.

The letter was answered jointly by bishops of both East and West Germany, but the contents of the reply have been assessed by Polish historians as disappointing.

To counteract the threat of losing control over people's minds, the Communist authorities reacted with anti-German and anti-Catholic hysteria.

[neutrality is disputed] The Primate of Poland, Stefan Wyszyński, was denied a passport for his trip to Rome and on January 15, 1966, Gomułka announced preparations for state celebrations of the 1000 Years of the Polish State, intended as a countermeasure against the church-sponsored celebrations of 1000 years of the baptism of Poland.

The following year the Polish United Workers' Party planned to limit the number of religious schools, which was also seen as a penalty for the Letter of Reconciliation.