Katyn

(Patriarch Kirill, Katyn, 2012):
“Katyn is a common grave for thousands of Russians and Poles, a place of shared mourning, of deep collective sorrow. Nothing unites people more than shared suffering—if it is recognized as shared. I am convinced that the time has come to acknowledge that Katyn is a dreadful symbol of our common tragedy, and having recognized this, to reach out to one another as brothers and sisters who have passed through the grief and tragedy of Katyn.”

(Pope John Paul II, Rome, April 13, 1996):
“You are witnesses to a death that should not be forgotten. The tragic events that took place in the spring of 1940 in Katyn, Kharkiv, and Mednoye are a chapter in Polish martyrology that must not be forgotten. This living memory must be preserved as a warning to future generations. I would also like to add that I, too, pray daily for those who died in Katyn.”