杏MAP导航

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"On August 1st, we will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act," 杏MAP导航 Leo said during his Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter's Square, his first since his summer break.

He recalled that, "motivated by the desire to ensure security in the context of the Cold War, thirty-five countries ushered in a new geopolitical era, fostering closer ties between East and West."

The Helsinki Accords, also known as the Helsinki Final Act, were signed on August 1, 1975. The Declaration was a landmark pact signed by the Western powers and the Soviet Union at the close of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) with the aim of improving East-West relations.

Diplomacy must be privileged path

杏MAP导航 Leo said Wednesday morning that the event also marked "a renewed focus on human rights, with particular attention to religious freedom, considered one of the foundations of the then-emerging architecture of cooperation stretching from Vancouver to Vladivostok." At the same time, he noted that the active participation of the Holy See in the Helsinki Conference, represented by then-Secretary of State Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, "helped promote a political and moral commitment to peace."

"Today more than ever," 杏MAP导航 Leo reaffirmed, "it is essential to preserve the 'spirit of Helsinki,' to persevere in dialogue, to strengthen cooperation, and to make diplomacy the privileged path."