“Dialogue with other religions is not easy, but it is worth it”: Mgr. Markowski Rafał, President of the Committee for Dialogue of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, said this referring to the Day of Judaism celebrated on 17 January before the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The prelate added that the aim “is not to create a single and universal religious system” but to “seek those values that are common to all and for which we must fight”. The Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Warsaw also pointed out at a press conference on 14 January that the theme for the 2021 Day – “Behold, I have set before you this day life and death, good and evil (Dt 30:15) – was chosen “also taking into account the current pandemic”. He also expressed the hope that the event, organized in compliance with health restrictions and therefore different from other years, “may prompt a deep reflection on life, its fragility, and the passing of time”.

“We must reflect to live well these times of pandemic, that they may bear spiritual fruit”, Mgr. Markowski concluded. The Chief Rabbi of Poland, Michael Schudrich, for his part, recalled that the Day had been established in Poland on the initiative of John Paul II who used to say that “when we know who we are in faith, the knowledge of a different faith can only be an enrichment and poses no risk”. The Rabbi also added that “another religion means another path to God Who is the common purpose of each of the different faiths”.