August 1st saw the end of the Conference of European nations in Helsinki called at the initiative of the Soviet Union. This game played by the world's powerful evoked bitterness and disappointment in the hearts of millions. In dealing with oil, wheat, business and personal contacts, the suffering of peoples and nations has been overlooked.
What can we, the Catholics of Lithuania, expect from the famous Helsinki conference, if we are not even given the full text of the Final Act in Lithuanian, if we have not yet been informed of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international documents?
We thank the Almighty that, in these deceitful times, He has called such men as Nobel Prize winner A. Solzhenitsyn, Academician Sakharov and others to relay our laments, sufferings and yearnings to the world and arouse this earth's powerful from slumber and doubt.
The Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania, as long as the Lord will allow it to survive, will continue to present facts about how the Soviet Union is observing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, both in the spirit and letter of Helsinki decisions.
"The Participating nations will respect fundamental human rights and freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief for all, regardless of differences of race, sex, language or religion.
"They will encourage and promote the effective fulfillment of citizenship, political, economic, social, cultural and other rights and freedoms, which are results of man's inborn dignity and are essential to his free and complete development.
"In this context, the participating nations will acknowledge and respect the individual's right to profess, individually or in a group with others, religious beliefs of faith, according to the dictates of his own conscience.
"In the field of fundamental human rights and freedoms, the participating nations will act in accordance with the goals and principles of U.N. Statutes and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They will also fulfill their obligations, as they are outlined in international declarations and agreements in this field, including international pacts on human rights, if they apply."
— Excerpts from the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe" dated August 1, 1975.
The Final Act was signed on behalf of the USSR by Communist Party Secretary General L. Brezhnev.
