Historical responsibilities

Paul VI died on August 6th 1978 in Castel Gandolfo. After 30 years, excerpts of his European thought, drawn from the letter that Pope Montini sent to Msgr. Agostino Cesaroli on July 25, 1975 on the occasion of Helsinki’s Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe and in the World, are hereby reproduced.At the apex of this long and often tormented history, thanks to the varied contributions made by the peoples of this continent and through their roots, Europe has come to have an ideal patrimony, representing a common heritage which is based on the Christian message proclaimed to all populations who welcomed it and made it theirs. In addition to the sacred values of the faith in God and the inviolability of human conscience, it embodies the values of equality and human fraternity, of dignity and of thought consecrated to the quest for truth, of individual and social justice, of rights understood as the behavioural criteria in the relations between citizens, institutions and States. It is to this unique and indestructible patrimony, viewed as the source of peace, that we wish to address our thought…The recognition of the interdependence of security between States, entrusted to the solemn commitments of renouncing recourse to the use of force, on the peaceful regulation of differences, on the respect in good faith of international obligations; the resolve to develop lawful and friendly relations based on the ‘respect for the legitimate sovereignty and for the rights which ought to be granted to all Countries, for their human, political, social, cultural reality as on the respect for the free will of one’s people to establish their own institutions; the common interest aimed at cooperation in the economic, scientific, cultural and humanitarian fields, all this would be sufficient to convey the significance of the serious, delicate and difficult commitment, which the policy of participating States draws inspiration from. We speak of States, since these are the juridical subjects of international relations. However, our wish is to address the peoples representing States’ living reality, their raison d’être and the motivations underlying their actions. These peoples with different languages and traditions, that rather than dividing Europe, constitute it, anxiously await the solemn statements that will be ratified. There are hundreds of millions of men and women, young and old, who yearn to live increasingly peaceful relations, in freedom and humaneness. These people yearn to enjoy peace and justice. They certainly would like to be reassured about the security of each State, however they are equally heartened by the reiteration of the respect of the legitimate rights of man and his fundamental freedoms. The Holy See is pleased to see that among these rights, freedom of religion is given special emphasis, while at the same time devoting equal attention to the possibilities for protection and human growth that such freedoms represent to individuals, communities, migrants, ethnic groups, national minorities and the populations of every region. With every right, special attention has been devoted to the possibility of facilitating mobility and contacts between individuals and institutions or bodies. May those people who will have greater freedom of movement to meet from one European Country to the next, be the joyous conveyers of a living and persuasive message of friendship and peace, symbol and token of peace and friendship between their Countries! For peace in Europe and the peace between Europe and the rest of the world! Considering their historical responsibilities and those which they presently have in the international domain, the countries of Europe, and with them, the United States of America and Canada, acknowledge the close link existing between peace and security in Europe and in the world, with special reference to the Mediterranean basin. Furthermore, they reaffirm their commitment aimed at resolving, in a spirit of true solidarity, the major problems of interdependence and cooperation, which weigh heavily on the life of the international community.