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

D08Cfdffi6d



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
fc

he 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.