UN General Assembly
1979

159. During his memorable pilgrimage to Poland, at the site of the former Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, Pope John Paul II spoke of the atrocities and the senseless futility of war, which should be sternly condemned. He defended the right of man to live in peace and pointed out that the responsibility for wars does not only fall upon those who start them, but also on those who fail to do all they can to prevent them. 160. Just as the co-operative effort of the great Powers, which made their decisive contribution to the defeat of fascism, was indispensable for the victory of the anti-Nazi coalition in the Second World War, today, too, progress in detente and disarmament invariably calls for co-operation of the great Powers, bound by the Charter to ensure peace and international security. Equally indispensable is the need for active participation in such efforts and co-operation on the part of other States.