The essay deals with the preparation of the first phase of the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) from the lenses of Vatican diplomacy. Based on the part of the archives of Monsignor Agostino Casaroli open to scholars, but also on other sources, the essay reconstructs the diplomatic itinerary leading the Holy See (after multiple contacts with the two blocs) to decide to attend the inaugural session of the Helsinki Conference (3-7 July 1973), interrupting an absence from the great international peace conferences that had been prolonged since the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Particular emphasis is given to the figure of Monsignor Casaroli, at the time Secretary of the Council for the Public Affairs of the Church; the documentation highlights the great expertise of the prelate, matured over years of diplomatic service and continuous reflection on the role of the Holy See in the communitas gentium. Some issues that Casaroli encountered on his way to Helsinki are briefly presented: the question of Berlin; the immutability of the borders that came out of the Second World War; non-interference in internal affairs; East-West relations; but above all the question of human rights, declined in the most varied forms and also under the aspect of religious freedom. The subject of the Holy See's possible acquiescence to Moscow and the socialist bloc is also briefly illustrated, as dealt with in the literature, with regard to the 'Church of Silence' but also to other issues such as the self-determination of peoples and human rights.
Il saggio ripercorre la preparazione della prima fase della Conferenza per la Sicurezza e la Cooperazione in Europa (CSCE) dall’osservatorio della diplomazia vaticana. Basato sulla parte dell’archivio di mons. Agostino Casaroli aperta agli studiosi, ma anche su altre fonti, si ricostruisce l’itinerario diplomatico che, dopo molteplici contatti con i due blocchi, portò la Santa Sede a decidere di partecipare alla seduta inaugurale della Conferenza di Helsinki (3-7 luglio 1973), interrompendo un’assenza della Santa Sede dalle grandi conferenze internazionali di pace, prolungatasi dal Congresso di Vienna del 1815. Viene dato particolare rilievo alla figura di mons. Casaroli, all’epoca Segretario del Consiglio per gli Affari Pubblici della Chiesa; la documentazione mette in rilievo la grande perizia del prelato, maturata in anni di servizio diplomatico e di continua riflessione sul ruolo della Santa Sede nella communitas gentium. Vengono presentate sinteticamente alcune questioni che Casaroli trovò sul cammino verso Helsinki: la questione di Berlino; l’immutabilità delle frontiere uscite dal secondo conflitto mondiale; la non interferenza negli affari interni; i rapporti est-ovest; ma soprattutto la questione dei diritti umani, declinata nelle più svariate forme e anche sotto l’aspetto della libertà religiosa. Viene anche brevemente illustrato il tema di un’eventuale acquiescenza della Santa Sede rispetto a Mosca e al blocco socialista, così come trattato dalla letteratura, con riguardo alla “Chiesa del silenzio” ma anche ad altre questioni come l’autodeterminazione dei popoli e i diritti umani.
"Si vis pacem para pacem". La Santa Sede, Agostino Casaroli e la prima fase della CSCE
NAPOLITANO
2023-01-01
Abstract
The essay deals with the preparation of the first phase of the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) from the lenses of Vatican diplomacy. Based on the part of the archives of Monsignor Agostino Casaroli open to scholars, but also on other sources, the essay reconstructs the diplomatic itinerary leading the Holy See (after multiple contacts with the two blocs) to decide to attend the inaugural session of the Helsinki Conference (3-7 July 1973), interrupting an absence from the great international peace conferences that had been prolonged since the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Particular emphasis is given to the figure of Monsignor Casaroli, at the time Secretary of the Council for the Public Affairs of the Church; the documentation highlights the great expertise of the prelate, matured over years of diplomatic service and continuous reflection on the role of the Holy See in the communitas gentium. Some issues that Casaroli encountered on his way to Helsinki are briefly presented: the question of Berlin; the immutability of the borders that came out of the Second World War; non-interference in internal affairs; East-West relations; but above all the question of human rights, declined in the most varied forms and also under the aspect of religious freedom. The subject of the Holy See's possible acquiescence to Moscow and the socialist bloc is also briefly illustrated, as dealt with in the literature, with regard to the 'Church of Silence' but also to other issues such as the self-determination of peoples and human rights.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
