The President of the German Bishops, Georg Bätzing, has today addressed a letter to Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, the chair of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, to thank him for the initiative that will take place in the Polish churches on Sunday, 25 July, that is, “the Day of Solidarity with the victims of floods and extreme weather in Poland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands”. “I ask that during the Holy Masses on that day, especially during the prayers of the faithful, we pray for the victims, and that, at the end of Mass, collections are held to raise money for Caritas Polska”, the Polish primate wrote on 16 July, following the disaster. “His initiative is a living sign of humanity and Christian responsibility”, Mgr. Bätzing said, “and strengthens the ties between our peoples, which were often undermined in the past, so that they are constantly renewed”. “The Church in Poland”, the German Bishop went on to write, wants to show “solidarity with the victims, beyond the national borders that divide and unite us”. And, he concluded, “this is how we show that we are Catholics”.