25th anniversary of the United Nations : statement, April 22, 1970


25th
Anniversary

of the

Statement

April 22, 1970

United States

Catholic Conference

(RELEASED MAY 8, 1970)



Twenty-five years ago, this month, while World

War II was still an agonizing reality, representatives of
51 nations gathered in San Francisco. In the name of
"the Peoples of the United Nations," they pledged to

unite their strength within a comprehensive new
juridical and political world organization "to save

succeeding generations from the scourge of war" in

accordance with principles of justice and
international law.

The American Bishops declared a few months
later that our country acted wisely in deciding to

participate in this world organization. Concerned that

the great powers were placed in a position "above the

law" in matters relating to the maintenance of peace

and security, they expressed the hope that a sound

institution would develop from the recognition of the

rights and duties of international society.

As the American Bishops meet now in 1970 in
San Francisco, a city which bears the name of the
patron of peace, we deem it appropriate to welcome
the twenty-fifth anniversary year of the United

Nations. Even more important, however, this is a

fitting occasion for an examination of conscience and

a renewed resolve to unite, as both the Gospel and

the times demand, to banish war and to make of the
earth a peaceable kingdom.

We call upon American Catholics to join with us
in appreciation of the noble purposes of the United

Nations and of its innovative efforts and
achievements in behalf of human solidarity, human
development and peace, and we urge them to increase
their knowledge and understanding of these efforts

and achievements. At the same time we recognize, as
the United Nations itself is doing, how far it still is
from meeting contemporary threats to and demands

for that peace, justice and true human progress which
are the theme of the anniversary year.

ACHIEVEMENTS
Common endeavors of the Member States of the

United Nations, in harmonizing their national

interests, have indeed deepened and broadened

awareness of the reciprocal rights and obligations of

states in international life. Some conflicts have been



averted, contained or halted by its efforts. The

horrendous character of nuclear, chemical and

biological warfare has been universally
acknowledged, and treaties to limit or abolish the

respective weapons have been concluded or initiated.

Numerous new states, formerly under colonial rule,

have been assisted in the transition to independence

and the new responsibilities thereof, and they have

been welcomed to United Nations membership on

terms of juridical equality. The dignity and

fundamental equality of all members of the human
family, without regard to sex, race, color, religion or

any other distinction, have been repeatedly affirmed

and enhanced through formal declarations and

treaties, through various educational campaigns and

through positive action of a social nature. Worldwide

technical cooperation and other forms of mutual

assistance are feeding the hungry, healing the sick,

instructing the ignorant and sheltering the homeless.

A body of international law to cover existing and
expanding relations in international life, which

otherwise might lead to conflict, is being

progressively developed. Agreements to preserve

outer space, the ocean bed and an uncontaminated

environment as the peaceful patrimony of all

mankind have been concluded or are in the making.

POSSIBILITIES

There can be no doubt that the United Nations

could move to that higher dimension of community
and authority demanded by the contemporary crises
of peoples, which are, in fact, world crises, if men and
states would take seriously the injunction of Pope
Paul to the United Nations: "We must get used to
thinking of man in a new way, of men's life in
common in a new way, in a new way, too, of the
paths of history and the destiny of the world.” In a

world made one by the evolution of communications
and transportation, this new way requires States to
emerge from the anachronistic structures which

enshrine old concepts of unlimited national

sovereignty.

As Christians and as American citizens, we have a
special responsibility to cherish and protect the life of



men in community and to assist the United Nations
to help us do so. As Americans we must acknowledge
the reality of our massive power and take the lead in

sharing it through strengthening the world

organization. This calls for acceleration in the delicate

exchange in which the United States and other

nations experience a limitation of the power to act

unilaterally and an expansion of the obligation to

share the responsibility of global peace and

development.

This limitation of unilateral power is required

notably in the area of arms control to effectively curb

the power of any State to make war and the
concomitant establishment of a UN peacekeeping
system capable of speedy action to guarantee security

and facilitate peaceful solutions. The success of the
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks between the United
States and the USSR is a first and necessary step.

As to possibilities of peacekeeping, without
which there will be no real or lasting arms control,

the words of Charles Yost, U.S. Ambassador to the

United Nations, are worthy of note: "We have only
to glance at some of the key provisions of the Charter

to see how far we have fallen short of making them
living realities, how substantially we have failed to
develop the institution and the sort of international

society which the authors of the Charter had in

mind... The United Nations is still waiting for its
members to give it the authority to settle disputes
and to live up to its promise of peace."

The United States should not only take the lead
in the new efforts to institutionalize a standby UN
peacekeeping force and to help set up fact finding,
arbitration, mediation and conciliation mechanisms
for settling political disputes, it should also take bold

steps in the effort to substitute for the rule of force a

rule of law. In the light of changed world conditions

we encourage and shall promote wide public
discussion of greater use by the United States of the

long established but practically unemployed
International Court of Justice for the settlement of

disputes.

The compelling needs of mankind no less than
the growing dangers to peace are a strong indictment



of the untrammeled pursuit of national self-interest.

There is evidence that our great country and its

generous people hold not the first but the eleventh

place among the nations in percentage of our gross
national product allotted to help in the development

of poorer nations and peoples. We encourage careful
study of the new directions outlined in the report of
the President's Task Force on International

Development, which call for the reversal of the

downward trend of such contributions and for greater
use of international rather than national channels in

distributing such aid. In this way can we share
effectively in the promotion of global solidarity and

increase the common stake of all nations in a
strengthened United Nations. Sympathetic
exploration in the United Nations of an International

Volunteer Service for technical assistance and

development should be given every encouragement.

The patterns and practices of international trade
in which we are engaged also call for a serious
reassessment in light of the present needs and the

future well-being of the world.Our country should

provide a far more adequate response to the needs of

those nations which suffer from the injustices of the

present system in which we play a powerful role; the
structures which support these injustices must be

examined with a view to change.

All of our strivings for true human progress will
be frustrated if we cannot honestly regard each of our
brothers as another self, whose true vocation, like

ours, is to love and to seek and embrace the good and

the true, and thus attain that higher level of life

which is his destiny. This regard must be expressed

also in laws and institutions. Of the many
Conventions drafted since 1945 by the United

Nations with the object of securing reciprocal

commitment by all nations to protect and promote
particular human rights, the United States has ratified
but one. We urge again, as we did in 1968, U.S.
ratification of the Convention on Genocide and

pledge ourselves to assist in the promotion of wide

public dialogue, not only on those Conventions which

have already been submitted to Congress, e.g., on

forced labor and women's political rights, but also on

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others which should be so submitted, including those

on racial discrimination and discrimination in

education.

In any global approach to the problems of peace

and human welfare, the real and potential magnitude
of the People's Republic of China cannot be ignored.

We commend the present Administration for
continuing the efforts to develop workable

relationships with the people of mainland China and

urge wide public discussion of this subject.

Informed and conscientious participation in

forming national policies is the surest way to promote
change looking to greater international cooperation.

The exercise of this right and duty should be ensured
by continuing education. We must ask ourselves
whether our schools, organizations and institutions

are ministering to the formation of a global mentality

or whether they are reinforcing outmoded
nationalistic, and even chauvinistic, attitudes of the

past.

In the development of a world public opinion,

we would commend study of the possibilities
inherent in the common interests and actions of the
many international non-governmental organizations.
Their experience is a contribution to the growth of

world community and is so recognized in the
consultative status granted to many of them by the
UN Economic and Social Council.

In conclusion, we remind all of the words of
Pope Paul VI to the General Assembly of fche United

Nations in 1965: "This organization represents the

obligatory path of modern civilization and of world

peace... Go forward." The path is obligatory because
the world can no longer afford the luxury of

completely autonomous and self-sustaining nation

states. In the United Nations, therefore, we see the
beginnings of a new international order to replace the

jealous sovereignty of States and the fragmenting

forces of nationalism — a new international order in
which mutual cooperation and respect for rights and

duties will lead to that human solidarity which may
be said to reflect the plan of the Creator who made
mankind one that they might seek and find Him.