09VATICAN28 2009-02-20 16:04
P 201600Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1055
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY MANILA PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY VATICAN
Friday, 20 February 2009, 16:00
C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000028
EO 12958 DECL: 2/20/2029
TAGS PREL, ECPS, PHUM, PGOV, KPAO, KIRF, VT
SUBJECT: THE HOLY SEE: A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE
REF: VATICAN 25 AND PREVIOUS (NOTAL)
CLASSIFIED BY: Julieta Valls Noyes, CDA, EXEC, State. REASON: 1.4 (b)
¶1. (C) Summary: Together with other flaps, the recent global controversy over the lifted excommunication of a Holocaust denying bishop (reftel) exposed a major disconnect between Pope Benedict XVI’s stated intentions and the way in which his message is received by the wider world. There are many causes for this communication gap: the challenge of governing a hierarchical yet decentralized organization, leadership weaknesses at the top, and an undervaluing of (and ignorance about) 21st century communications. These factors have led to muddled, reactive messaging that reduces the volume of the moral megaphone the Vatican uses to advance its objectives. This is especially true with audiences whose view of the Vatican is informed largely by mass media coverage. There are signs that at least some in the Vatican have learned their lessons and will work to reshape the Holy See’s communications structure. Whether they’ll prevail remains to be seen. End Summary.
A CENTRALIZED HIERARCHY MAKING DECENTRALIZED DECISIONS
--------------------------------------------- ---------
¶2. (SBU) The Vatican is highly hierarchical with the Pope ultimately responsible for all important matters. Yet it is also highly decentralized in its decision-making. This structure reflects belief in the principle of “subsidiarity”: leaving decisions to those closest to, and best informed on, a particular matter. On a practical level, however, subsidiarity can limit horizontal communication by eliminating peer consultation and review. This approach also encourages a narrow focus on issues at the expense of the big picture.
¶3. (C) In discussing the recent crisis with CDA and PAO, Archbishop Claudio Celli, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, described the Church’s current communication style as being focused on the content of a decision, rather than its public impact. XXXXXXXXXXXX noted that this phenomenon is compounded by the fact that officials from the various Church organs see themselves as advocates for their issues, without considering their impact on the Church as a whole. The result is a process in which only a handful of experts are aware of imminent decisions -- even major decisions with broad implications -- and those who are become proponents, rather than impartial advisors to the Pope.
¶4. (C) A series of missteps during Benedict’s Papacy have made the lack of information-sharing in the Church painfully clear. In 2006, the Pope made a speech in Regensburg that was widely decried as insulting to Muslims, though he later explained he had no such intent. In 2008, the Pope himself baptized (i.e., converted)a prominent Muslim during the 2008 Easter Vigil service at St. Peters, an event broadcast worldwide; the Cardinal who runs Inter-Faith Dialogues for the Church knew nothing about the conversion until it happened. This year, Father Federico Lombardi, head of the Vatican press office, and Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, which includes relations with Jews, learned only after the fact about the decision to reinstate communion with schismatic Lefebrvist bishops who included a Holocaust denier (reftel). In the midst of that scandal, meanwhile, the Pope proposed promoting to auxiliary bishop a priest who said Hurricane Katrina was “divine retribution” for licentiousness in New Orleans. The resulting outcry led the cleric to decline the offer.
A TIN EAR AT THE TOP
--------------------
¶5. (C) These public missteps have intensified scrutiny of the small group of decision-makers advising the Pope. Normally reserved Vatican commentators have directed withering criticism their way. XXXXXXXXXXXX, recently wrote that “curial chaos, confusion, and incompetence” had made clear “how dysfunctional the curia remains in terms of both crisis analysis and crisis management.” Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone -- who is tasked with managing the Curia and is its highest ranking official after the Pope -- has been a particular target. XXXXXXXXXXXX said Cardinal Bertone had “distinguished himself by his absence” during the Lefebrvist controversy, and that the curia had become “more disorganized than before” under his leadership. Yet XXXXXXXXXXXX may have understated the problem. At the height of the Lefebrvist scandal, Bertone referred publicly to the offending bishop by the wrong name, then denounced the media for “inventing” a problem where there was none. Other critics note Bertone’s lack of diplomatic experience (he speaks only Italian, for example), and a personal style that elevates “pastoral” work -- with frequent foreign travel focusing on the spiritual needs of Catholics around the world -- over foreign policy and management.
¶6. (C) More broadly, critics point to a lack of generational or geographical diversity in the Pope’s inner circle. Most of the top ranks of the Vatican -- all men, generally in their seventies -- do not understand modern media and new information technologies. The blackberry-using Father Lombardi remains an anomaly in a culture in which many officials do not even have official email accounts. XXXXXXXXXXXX laid even greater emphasis on the Italo-centric nature of the Pope’s closest advisors. Other than Archbishop James Harvey, an American and head of the Papal household, there is no one from an Anglophone country in the Pope’s inner circle. XXXXXXXXXXXX said this meant few had exposure to the American -- or, indeed, global -- rough and tumble of media communications. The Pope’s Italian advisors, XXXXXXXXXXXX, tend towards old-fashioned, inwardly focused communications written in “coded” language that no-one outside their tight circles can decipher. (The Israeli Ambassador, for example, told CDA that he recently received a Vatican statement that was supposed to contain a positive message for Israel, but it was so veiled he missed it, even when told it was there.)
¶7. (C) There is also the question of who, if anyone, brings dissenting views to the Pope’s attention. As noted, Cardinal Bertone is considered a “yes man,” and other Cardinals don’t hold much sway with the Pope -- or lack the confidence to bring him bad news. And if bad news rarely filters out, leaks never spring. XXXXXXXXXXXX said that under Pope John Paul II leaks were much more common. While damaging, these leaks did allow time for critics of pending decisions to mobilize and present opposing views to the Pope in time. Pope Benedict and Cardinal Bertone run a much tighter ship,XXXXXXXXXXXX, but at the expense of squashing coordination or allow dissenting voices to be heard.
NOT SPIN CITY
-------------
¶8. (C) As has become evident throughout the controversies, much of the Vatican hierarchy greatly undervalues external communication. Structurally, the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and the Vatican Press Office are weak. The former applies the Church’s teachings to the field of communications and is not involved in shaping the Pope’s message. The latter has the writ, but not the influence.
¶9. (C) Father Lombardi, the spokesman, is not part of the Pope’s inner circle. He has little influence over major decisions, even when he knows about them beforehand. And the poor man is terribly overworked: Lombardi is simultaneously the head of the Vatican Press Office, Vatican Radio (which broadcasts in 45 languages), and the Vatican Television Center, literally moving from one office to the other over the course of the day. It’s a grueling schedule on good days, and debilitating during crises. Father Lombardi is the deliverer, rather than a shaper, of the message. In the wake of the Lefebrvist controversy, he openly said that the Vatican press office “didn’t control the communication.” Without a comprehensive communication strategy in which he plays a central role, he is dependent on individual Church organs and leaders seeking his advice. It’s a hit or miss proposition.
¶10. (C) There is another cost to divorcing decision-making from public spin: the Church’s message is often unclear. XXXXXXXXXXXX candidly said that the Holy See rarely considered how best to explain dogmatic, ecclesiastical, moral or other decisions to a broader public. He emphasized that the content of the message should not/not be different -- the Catholic Church would often take positions contrary to public opinion -- but the Church hierarchy needed to think more about how to present positions.
CRACKING THE REAL DA VINCI CODE?
--------------------------------
¶11. (C) The communication culture of the broader Catholic Church is diverse, however, with many Church-affiliated organizations now excelling at communication. One example of a Church organization that is using modern communications strategies to deliver its message, interestingly enough, is Opus Dei. (Pope John Paul II was widely perceived as being more adept at public communications than Benedict; his communications director, Joaquin Navarro Valls, famously belongs to Opus Dei.) CDA and PolOff recently met with XXXXXXXXXXXX and discussed how Opus Dei responded to the “Da Vinci Code” - a novel which pilloried the group. Sanchez said that Opus Dei realized it could respond in one of three ways: (1) ignore the controversy; (2) adopt a `no prisoners’ approach and refute every error; or (3) treat the controversy as a chance to explain Opus Dei to the world. Opus Dei chose the third option, holding regular briefings for journalists and others, and the organization’s membership has actually increased as a result.
FIXING WHAT’S LOST IN TRANSLATION
---------------------------------
¶12. (C) There is a growing urgency within the Vatican about the need to change the current communication culture. The rare public criticisms offered by Father Lombardi and Cardinal Kasper of their colleagues’ roles in the Lefebrvist scandal are an extremely strong indicator of internal disquiet. There are a number of proposals circulating to help fix the problem. XXXXXXXXXXXX have confirmed privately to the Embassy that discussions are underway about having the Pontifical Council for Social Communications assume a greater coordinating role on major decisions. Father Lombardi has privately proposed to his leadership the possibility of creating an office in the Secretariat of State to flag potentially controversial decisions and has asked for resources to prepare translations of major statements more quickly. Other Vatican insiders close to the Pope have suggested bringing more native English speakers into positions in the Pope’s inner circle. And not a few voices are calling for Cardinal Bertone’s removal from his current position.
COMMENT
-------
¶13. (C) Behind closed doors, our Vatican contacts seems to be talking about nothing but the need for better internal coordination on decisions and planned public messages. Most Church leaders recoil at the notion that they could be seen as anti-Semitic or endorsing Holocaust denials, yet are confronting the ugly reality that many people actually believe these notions because of their own poor communications culture. But if or when change will come remains an open question. The structural and cultural roots of the current situation are deep, and will not be easily uprooted as they are closely connected to Pope Benedict’s governing style. Similar criticism after the disastrous Regensburg speech led to little or no change. The percolating discussions regarding the creation of a policy coordinating body within the curia - and other possible solutions -- are hopeful signs. But they are not yet guarantees that change is coming. Stay tuned. End Comment.
NOYES
THE HOLY SEE: A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE
CHURCH UNITY ONE, CATHOLIC-JEWISH RELATIONS ZERO
09VATICAN11 2009-01-27 16:04
VZCZCXRO6175
PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP
DE RUEHROV #0011/01 0271652
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 271652Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1029
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 0076
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 0064
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 0004
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0022
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0030
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 1065
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000011
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/27/2029
TAGS: PGOV PREL KIRF PHUM JO IS VT
SUBJECT: CHURCH UNITY ONE, CATHOLIC-JEWISH RELATIONS ZERO
REF: A. A) VATICAN 10
¶B. B) ROME 58
¶C. C) VATICAN 09
VATICAN 00000011 001.2 OF 002
CLASSIFIED BY: Rafael P. Foley, Acting DCM.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
¶1. (S) Summary: The Pope's decision to reinstate communion with
a breakaway Catholic group that included a Holocaust-denying
cleric (ref A) proved that his highest concern is the long-term
religious well-being of the Church, not the Holy See's relations
with other sovereign states. This religion-first attitude is
also informing the Holy See's planning for the Pope's probable
trip to Israel and Jordan next May (ref B) and its handling of a
controversy over whether WWII Pope Pius XII should be declared a
saint. Most Holy See insiders believe that this is the right
approach for a 2,000 year-old institution which considers its
greatest historical failure "the scandal of the Christian
disunity." This said, Pope Benedict XVI -- himself a German who
lived through WWII -- has publicly deplored anti-Semitism and
emphasized improved relations with the Jews. The Holy See may
find, however, that its politically tone-deaf handling of this
decision may cool the Pope's reception in Israel this May, if
the trip is confirmed). End Summary
Broad Context, Long History for Vatican-Jewish Dialogue
--------------------------------------------- ----------
¶2. (C) In a lengthy discussion with CDA and A/DCM on January 23,
the Secretary of the Holy See's Commission for Relations with
the Jews, Father Norbert Hofmann, described Vatican-Jewish
dialogue efforts. He noted that an odd organizational decision
demonstrates just how important Catholic-Jewish relations are to
the Vatican: the Commission for Relations with Jews comes under
the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity --
not/not the Pontifical Council on Inter-Religious Dialogue
(which deals with relations with Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and
Animists). According to Hofmann, Jewish leaders appreciate this
arrangement because it is to their advantage to underline the
special relationship that bounds Christianity to Judaism.
¶3. (C) Both religions accord major importance to dialogue.
Since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the Catholic
Church has pursued closer ties with Judaism, citing their shared
texts and history. In recent years, and coinciding with the
election of German Pope Benedict XVI (who lived through WWII as
a child), the effort to strengthen these ties has been kicked
into high gear. Jews, Hofmann said, think good relations with
the Holy See help combat anti-Semitism and ensure that there
will never be another Shoa.
Denial of Outrage about Perceived Affronts
------------------------------------------
¶4. (C) Hofmann opined that Pope Benedict XVI's reinstatement of
the four Lefebvrist clerics excommunicated by Pope John Paul II
(ref a) would not damage Vatican relations with the Jews over
the long term. He anticipated that the public denial of the
Holocaust by one of the four, Bishop Williamson, would be
controversial and would attract criticism in the short term but
then be set aside quickly. Other Church leaders seemed to agree
that since the Pope's decision was religious, not political, it
would be understood as such. The head of the French bishops'
conference, for example, hailed the act as "a gesture of mercy
and openness for strengthening Church unity." Other Church
leaders disassociated themselves from Bishop Williamson's
Holocaust denials, then adding words of welcome for the
reinstatement of the four Lefebvrists. It fell mostly to
Cardinal Kasper, who runs the Catholic-Jewish dialogue, to
condemn the rehabilitated bishop's remarks as "stupid" and
"unacceptable," and having "nothing to do with the Catholic
Church." As is typical, the Pope stayed above the fray and did
not comment.
¶5. (S) Indeed, most Church leaders seem to think the damage from
this matter will not last or harm the Pope's planned visit to
Israel. Father Hofmann specifically said the controversy would
join other similar matters as "non-issues in the good state of
Jewish-Catholic relations." Nevertheless, other controversies
continue to rankle with Jews and others. Among them is an old
Latin Catholic Mass prayer calling for conversion of Jews. Even
more controversial in recent months has been the proposal to
canonize (make a saint of) Pope Pius XII, the WWII-era Pope who
some criticize for not having publicly denounced the Holocaust.
Rabbi Cohen of Haifa (Israel), the first Rabbi ever invited to
address a Synod of bishops, implicitly criticized the
canonization proposal in his remarks to the bishops last fall.
Church officials did not expect the criticism and were annoyed
by it. Hofmann dismissed even those public remarks, though,
saying the Rabbi had confided in him that he'd been pressured by
other Jewish leaders to deliver the point.
VATICAN 00000011 002.2 OF 002
Prospects for Pope's Trip to Israel and Jordan
--------------------------------------------- -
¶6. (C) Meanwhile, the Pope's planned visit to Israel looms
large in Vatican-Jewish relations. Consistent with what other
Vatican officials have told us (ref b), Father Hofmann confirmed
that the Pope's trip was not conditioned on resolving Church
property taxation issues in the Israel-Holy See Fundamental
Agreement. The real motivation for the trip is, again,
religious: the eighty-one year-old Pope wants to make a
pilgrimage to the Holy Land as Pontiff before his advanced age
makes it too difficult. At the same time, the Holy See believes
the Pope's trip to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan will advance
awareness about the Holocaust and the need to combat
anti-Semitism. A Papal visit will also publicly highlight the
Vatican's acceptance of the State of Israel, with which the Holy
See established relations in 1993. Hofmann implied that for
these reasons, absent major negative developments, the trip
would occur.
¶7. (S) In a separate conversation on January 23, the new Israeli
Ambassador to the Holy See, Mordechai Lewy, took a somewhat more
jaded view. While confirming that planning without
pre-conditions is underway, expressing hope that the trip would
happen, and acknowledging that it could advance Catholic-Jewish
dialogue, Lewy would not speculate on its likelihood. Lewy did
not see many prospects for a Papal visit helping to resolve the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While Israel wants to keep on
good terms with the Holy See to avoid problems, he said, Israeli
leaders don't think that the Vatican can influence the Arabs.
¶8. (S) On the other hand, Lewy said, the Jordanians may have a
pecuniary interest in the visit. Prince Ghazi, Lewy alleged,
has financial stakes in the possible tourist development of the
area around Jesus' baptismal site. A Papal visit to this area
would be good for business. Since not all churches in that area
would welcome such development, this has caused some conflict
between authorities and local churches.
¶9. (C) The Israeli Ambassador did not think that the recent Gaza
crisis would play a role in the Pope's final decision on whether
to travel to the Holy Land. Lewy was disappointed with the
Vatican's criticism of Israeli actions in Gaza, and raised his
views with Monsignor Parolin, the Holy See's deputy foreign
minister. Lewy urged Parolin to say something positive about
Israel to balance these remarks. Specifically, he wanted the
Holy See to state publicly that the religious freedom Christians
enjoy in Israel is unparalleled in the Middle East, where
Christian minorities are increasingly on the defensive against
political Islam. Parolin, he said, committed to do so.
(C) Comment: A Formidable Partner in Need of P.R. Lessons
--------------------------------------------- ------------
¶10. (S) Pope Benedict sometimes bewilders politicians and
journalists by pursuing what he believes is in the best interest
of the Church, such as reinstating the Lefebvrists or
considering the canonization of Pius XII. (His predecessor,
John Paul II, suffered from some of the same second-guessing.)
Vatican outsiders lament decisions or policies that they
perceive as being out-of-step with the new millennium, and call
for the Church to be more modern and accommodating. What these
observers fail to recognize is the consistency of the Holy See's
decisions and behavior on key issues like the reunification of
the Church or the dignity of all human beings - and the value of
that consistency. Regardless of whether outsiders agree or
disagree with the Holy See, it's hard to dispute its moral
influence, geographic reach, and ability to grab headlines.
These qualities can make the Vatican a formidable partner for
the U.S. and other nations in the pursuit of common objectives.
¶11. (S) At the same time, there's no denying the fact that a
little more attention to how the outside world views decisions
taken inside the Church could help the Holy See protect its
image and further its influence. Although Church leaders like
Benedict are adopting new means of communication to get their
message to a wider audience (ref C), they have not yet embraced
fully the need -- and tools -- for 21st century public
relations. The Holy See's spokesmen could have resoundingly
denounced the Holocaust-denying views of Bishop Williamson at
the same time the Pope welcomed him back into the Church, but
they waited days to do so, and then did it weakly. By then,
much of the damage had been done. Instead of scoring a
religious hat-trick -- reuniting the Church, demonstrating the
Church's commitment to second chances for those who have erred,
and reaffirming the horrors of the Holocaust -- the Holy See is
playing catch-up. End Comment.
JVNOYES
VATICAN: LOOKING AHEAD ON BIOTECH
05VATICAN514 2005-08-26 07:07
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000514
SIPDIS
DEPT. FOR EB; EB/TPP/ABT/BTT; EUR/WE (TCUNNINGHAM)
E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/26/2015
TAGS: PREL PHUM TBIO EAGR EAID SOCI VT
SUBJECT: VATICAN: LOOKING AHEAD ON BIOTECH
REF: A. A) ROME 2543,
¶B. 05 ROME 2543, 03 VAT 4859; 03 ROME 5205; 04 VAT 3810
CLASSIFIED BY: Peter Martin, Political Officer, POL, STATE.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
-------
Summary
-------
¶1. (C) Recent conversations between Holy See officials and
USAID and EB representatives visiting the Vatican confirmed the
cautious acceptance of biotech food by the Holy See. Vatican
officials asserted that the safety and science of genetically
modified foods would eventually be non-issues at the Holy See.
Preoccupation at the Vatican, they said, was tied more to
economic arguments, as some fear that widespread use of GMO food
in the developing world would subjugate its farmer population
and become a form of economic imperialism simply serving to
enrich multi-national corporations. There remains vocal
opposition among some Catholic laypeople and clergy to biotech
food, and signs are not strong that the papacy or other Vatican
entities with which Post has worked are ready to issue a
stronger endorsement of these technologies. However, by
focusing on the economic benefits of GMO food for
developing-world farmers, safeguards in place to prevent
economic exploitation, and ongoing research on non-cash crops
such as cassava, Post will continue to engage the Holy See on
what we have called the "moral imperative" of biotech food. A
Vatican document on world hunger planned for drafting this fall
offers another opening for our work on the issue and a chance to
influence a wide segment of the population in Europe and the
developing world.
----------------------------
USG, Holy See Officials Meet
----------------------------
¶2. (SBU) Michael Hall, Biotechnology Advisor for USAID's
Regional Economic Development Services Office in Nairobi, met
with Monsignor James Reinert of the Pontifical Council for
Justice and Peace (J and P), and Jack Bobo, Deputy Chief,
EB/TTP/ABT/BTT, met with Fr. Michael Osborn of the Pontifical
Council Cor Unum, offering a chance to push the Vatican on
biotech issues, and an opportunity for Post to analyze the
current state of play on biotech in the Vatican generally. Both
meetings took place at the Vatican. J and P takes the official
lead on biotech issues at the Vatican, and has been quite active
in recent years, often working closely with Post (03 VAT 4859;
03 ROME 5205; 04 VAT 3810). Cor Unum, the Vatican's
clearinghouse for aid efforts worldwide, is another potential
ally on biotech, as food aid to the developing world is a great
part of its brief.
----------------------------------
Science and Safety not the Problem
----------------------------------
¶3. (SBU) Discussing the climate on biotech foods at the
Vatican, Osborn assured Bobo that doubts about the safety and
the legitimacy of the science of these technologies would not be
a long-term problem in efforts to bring the Holy See further
along on biotech. He noted that the Holy See did not feel that
the genetic modification of plants posed any moral problem.
Osborn mentioned a few clerical and other critics who had spoken
out at Post's biotech conference last year co-sponsored by the
Pontifical Academy of Sciences (04 VAT 3810), raising the alarm
about the alleged dire effects of biotech food on health and the
environment. "You're going to have a few people who continue to
use scare tactics about the science," Osborn said, "but little
by little, they will cease to be a factor." Within the Vatican,
he said, the mainstream opinion is that the science is solid.
Bobo filled Osborn in on recent studies that backed up this
view, and directed him to a recent World Health Organization
(WHO) report that found: "GM foods currently available on the
international market have passed risk assessments and are not
likely to, nor have been shown to, present risks for human
health." The report is available in English, French, and
Spanish at:
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/biotech/who_stu dy/en/index.html.
-------------------------
Economic Angle is Crucial
-------------------------
¶4. (SBU) According to Osborn, the main issue for the Church
will continue to be the economic angle of biotech food. Many in
the Church fear that these technologies are going to make
developing-world farmers more dependent on others, and simply
serve to enrich multi-national corporations. In his
conversation with Reinert, Hall also acknowledged this concern,
but noted that some researchers were working on crops such as
cowpeas and cassava that were unlikely to make big profits, but
could benefit the developing world. Bobo pointed out to Osborn
that competition between companies and the regulatory process in
individual countries provided some safeguards on these issues.
Poloff mentioned presentations given at Post's conference
showing that in several communities in various parts of the
developing world, the advent of biotech crops had brought
significant economic benefits for developing-world farmers.
While seed companies had made some profits, the big losers
appeared to have been multi-national pesticide companies.
Describing several examples of his group's projects, Hall
assured Reinert that USAID initiatives sought to empower
Africans and address their needs rather than blindly promote
U.S. interests.
-----------------------
Opposition Still Active
-----------------------
¶5. (SBU) Post notes that Catholic opposition to biotech food is
still active. Elements of the Catholic population, primarily in
the English-speaking world, peppered the Pontifical Academy of
Sciences and J and P with hostile emails when they moved forward
on the issue in the past two years. The UK-based anti-GMO
Catholic Institute for International Relations has been very
active on the issue, as well, often through the influential
English Catholic magazine, the Tablet. (In fact a letter from a
CIIR member in the July 30 Tablet made questionable assertions
attacking biotech.) Reinert said that many clergy, especially
those working in the developing world, continued to be
anti-biotech, though many seemed uninformed about the science.
He pointed to the Philippines as a country with a particularly
anti-GMO Catholic hierarchy, joking that the Filipino Church
would "go into schism" if the Vatican came out any stronger for
biotech food.
-------------------
Comment: Next Steps
-------------------
¶6. (C) By word and action the Pontifical Council for Justice
and Peace and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences have
established the Holy See as giving at least a cautious go-ahead
to bioengineered foods. It may be difficult to get much more in
the near future. The pope has not shown his cards on the issue,
but some feel he may have been influenced by European prejudices
against biotech food. Further, before the papal transition, J
and P sent a document laying out a moral/theological case for
biotech food to the pope's old curial dicastery for clearance --
the theological watchdog Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith (CDF). For whatever reason, the document never came back
from CDF. What's more, Post's greatest ally at the Vatican on
the question, Cardinal Renato Martino of J and P, may be through
pushing the issue. A Martino deputy told us recently that the
cardinal had cooperated with Embassy Vatican on biotech over the
past two years in part to compensate for his vocal disapproval
of the Iraq war and its aftermath -- to keep relations with the
USG smooth. According to our source, Martino no longer feels
the need to take this approach.
¶7. (C) Despite these less encouraging signs, opportunities
exist to press the issue with the Vatican, and in turn to
influence a wide segment of the population in Europe and the
developing world. According to Osborn, Cor Unum will be taking
the lead this fall on the updating of a Holy See document on
world hunger. In light of recent work that has been done on the
subject, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations' 2003-04 State of Food and Agriculture report
that gave a cautious backing to the use of biotech food for the
developing world, it will be difficult for the Holy See to avoid
the issue. We will continue to press the "moral imperative" of
biotech, publicizing and sharing data that show the economic
benefit of these technologies to farmers, and explaining the
safeguards that exist to prevent economic exploitation. Sharing
information on research on non-cash crops such as cassava will
also be important to winning Vatican hearts and minds.
SANDROLINI
THE VATICAN-- THE SUPRANATIONAL POWER
01VATICAN3507 2001-07-03 12:12
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
Tuesday, 03 July 2001, 12:03
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 VATICAN 003507
SIPDIS
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE, PD/ECA (SEXTON), WHITE HOUSE FOR JOSEPH
HAGIN, BRADLEY BLAKEMAN AND MARY HAINES, PLEASE PASS TO
NSC FOR AMB. FREID
EMBASSY VATICAN MESSAGE NO. 107/01
EO 12958 DECL: 07/02/11
TAGS PREL, PHUM, IS, EG, CH, ID, PHUM, IS, EG, CH, ID, PHUM, IS, EG, CH, ID, PHUM, IS, EG, CH, ID, VT, VTPREL, VTPREL, VTPREL
SUBJECT: THE VATICAN-- THE SUPRANATIONAL POWER
REF: 00 ROME 0988
¶1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY CDA JOSEPH MERANTE FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 VATICA 03507 01 OF 04 031719Z
BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION
---------------------------
¶2. (U) THIS CABLE PROVIDES ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR THE PLANNED PRESIDENTIAL MEETING WITH THE POPE. IT UPDATES REFTEL, OUTLINING ASPECTS OF THE USG- HOLY SEE RELATIONSHIP THAT WE BELIEVE WILL REQUIRE U.S. ATTENTION IN THE NEAR AND MIDTERM. THE MIDDLE EAST WILL FEATURE PROMINENTLY. IN ASIA, VATICAN PRIORITIES WILL REMAIN FOCUSED ON CHINA, TAIWAN, VIETNAM AND INDONESIA/EAST TIMOR. THE VATICAN IS INVOLVED IN MEDIATING AFRICA’S GREAT LAKES CONFLICT, WHILE CUBA LOOMS LARGE AMONG VATICAN INTERESTS IN LATIN AMERICA. THIS CABLE IDENTIFIES AREAS IN WHICH THE U.S. AND THE VATICAN SHARE INTERESTS, AND AREAS IN WHICH THERE ARE POLICY DIFFERENCES.
¶3. (U) BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION (CONT’D): THE HOLY SEE IS A SUPRANATIONAL ENTITY THAT HAS ITS CAPITAL AND TERRITORIAL MANIFESTATION IN THE STATE OF VATICAN CITY. THE UNITED STATES BASED ITS 1984 RECOGNITION OF THE HOLY SEE IN PART ON THE FACT THAT THE HOLY SEE EXERCISES SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE 109 ACRES OF THE VATICAN CITY STATE. HOWEER ALL AMBASSADORS TO THE HOLY SEE, INCLUDING THE U.S. AMBASSADOR, ARE ACCREDITED TO THE HOLY SEE AN NOT/NOT TO THE STATE OF VATICAN CITY. THE VATIAN INSISTS ON THIS POINT TO REMIND THAT ITS REAC AND INTERNATIONAL PERSONALITY IS GLOBAL. FOR PRPOSES OF THIS CABLE, THE TERMS HOLY SEE AND VATICAN WILL BE USED INTERCHANGEABLY. CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 VATICA 03507 01 OF 04 031719Z
¶4. (U) BACKGOUND AND INTRODUCTION (CONT’D): THE HOLY SEE ISONE OF THE OLDEST CONTINUALLY EXISTING INTERNATINAL ENTITIES. IT EXERCISED TEMPORAL CONTROL OF TE ITAIAN PENINSULA DURING THE MIDDLE AGES, BUT WAS COMPLETELY BEREFT OF TERRITORY BETWEEN 1870 AND 1929. NEVERTHELESS, EVEN DURING THIS PERIOD, MOST NATIONS CONTINUED TO RECOGNIZE THE IT AS AN INTERNATIONAL ENTITY AND MAINTAINED FULL DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS.
¶5. (U) BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION (CONT’D): THE VATICAN IS ONE OF VERY FEW SOVEREIGN ENTITIES THAT HAVE PRESENCE AND REACH IN VIRTUALLY EVERY COUNTRY OF THE WORLD. ALTHOUGH ITS SOVEREIGNTY IS OVER LIMITED TERRITORY, VATICAN TEACHING AND POLICIES CAN INFLUENCE THE OVER ONE BILLION ADHERENTS OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. END BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION.
DEVELOPING POLICY TOWARD THE HOLY SEE
-------------------------------------
¶6. (C) IN DEVELOPING U.S. POLICY VIS-A-VIS THIS UNIQUE ENTITY, POLICYMAKERS SHOULD THINK OF THE HOLY SEE AS SIMILAR TO A TRADITIONAL NATION-STATE, WITH A VARIETY OF FACTORS INFORMING ITS FOREIGN POLICY. THE MOST IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS IN ITS FOREIGN POLICY DECISION MAKING INCLUDE:
-- RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES/HUMANITARIAN CONCERNS: THE VATICAN STRIVES TO TRANSLATE ITS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND ITS HUMANITARIAN CONCERNS INTO CONCRETE POLICIES. CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 04 VATICA 03507 01 OF 04 031719Z FOREIGN POLICY INITIATIVES BASED ON THESE PRINCIPLES INCLUDE: SUPPORT FOR THIRD WORLD DEVELOPMENT AND DEBT RELIEF FOR POORER COUNTRIES, OPPOSITION TO CAPITAL PUNISHMENT, OPPOSITION TO ABORTION AND CONTRACEPTION, AND OPPOSITION (ON HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS) TO EMBARGOES;
-- “NATIONAL” SELF-INTEREST: THE HOLY SEE SEEKS TO PROTECT CATHOLICS AROUND THE WORLD, ITS OWN POSITION OF INFLUENCE, AND ITS VAST WEALTH. THE VATICAN’S SUPPORT OF SADDAM HUSSEIN RESULTS FROM ITS DESIRE TO PROTECT 600,000 IRAQI CATHOLICS FROM ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM; ITS REFUSAL TO PUBLICLY CRITICIZE CROAT NATIONALIST CLERGY IN BOSNIA STEMS IN PART FROM THE CROAT CHURCH’S STAUNCH DEFENSE OF THE FAITH DURING THE COLD WAR;
-- HISTORY/TRADITION: RELATIONS BETWEEN THE HOLY SEE AND SPAIN, PORTUGAL, AND OTHER LATIN COUNTRIES GO BACK OVER 500 YEARS. THE VATICAN’S HISTORICAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THESE COUNTRIES FREQUENTLY DEMANDS AN ACTIVE FOREIGN POLICY ROLE;
-- PROSELYTISM: THE VATICAN KNOWS THAT IT MUST
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ8384
PAGE 01 VATICA 03507 02 OF 04 031715Z ACTION ECA-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AMAD-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 DODE-00 DS-00 EUR-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 VCE-00 NSAE-00 SSO-00 SS-00 SNIS-00 NISC-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 SAS-00 /002W ------------------00B3A7 031716Z /38 O 031203Z JUL 01 FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0000 WHITEHOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 04 VATICAN 003507
SIPDIS
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE, PD/ECA (SEXTON), WHITE HOUSE FOR JOSEPH HAGIN, BRADLEY BLAKEMAN AND MARY HAINES, PLEASE PASS TO NSC FOR AMB. FREID
EMBASSY VATICAN MESSAGE NO. 107/01
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/11
TAGS: PREL PHUM IS EG CH ID PHUM IS EG CH ID PHUM IS EG CH ID PHUM IS EG CH ID VT VTPREL VTPREL VTPREL
SUBJECT: THE VATICAN-- THE SUPRANATIONAL POWER
CONTINUALLY REFRESH ITS MESSAGE FOR CHANGING TIMES. VATICAN II IN THE 1960S WAS AN EXAMPLE. INTERFAITH AND ECUMENICAL OUTREACH IS AN IMPORTANT FOCUS OF THE CURRENT PAPACY, AND PROSELYTISM/POPULATION GROWTH IN THE THIRD CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 VATICA 03507 02 OF 04 031715Z WORLD ACCOUNTS FOR MUCH OF THE GROWTH OF THE CHURCH IN RECENT YEARS.
¶7. (C) PAPAL HEALTH/SUCCESSION AND WHAT IT MIGHT MEAN FOR U.S. POLICY: POPE JOHN PAUL II IS SURELY THE MOST WIDELY RECOGNIZED WORLD LEADER. ALONG WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, HE ENJOYS THE HIGHEST STATURE AND PROFILE AMONG WORLD LEADERS. IN EARLY 2000, PRESS MISREPRESENTATION OF A GERMAN BISHOP’S REMARKS IN THE POPE JOHN PAUL II’S ABILITY TO CONTINUE IN OFFICE, SPARKED A SERIES OF SPECULATIONS AROUND THE WORLD ABOUT SUCCESSION. THE POPE AND THE VATICAN STRONGLY DENIED THAT HIS CONDITION WAS SERIOUS ENOUGH TO WARRANT ABDICATION. THERE IS LITTLE SUPPORT FOR THE IDEA THAT THE POPE WOULD IN FACT RESIGN EVEN IF HIS HEALTH WERE TO DECLINE PRECIPITOUSLY. THE LIST OF CARDINALS WIDELY PERCEIVED AS POTENTIAL SUCCESSORS DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY AMERICANS, AND ONLY ONE ANGLOPHONE. AN ELECTION OF A EUROPEAN CARDINAL (MOST LIKELY AN ITALIAN) WOULD PROBABLY RESULT IN ONLY MINOR CHANGES IN VATICAN POLICY AND ITS CURRENT STANCE ON ISSUES VIS A VIS THE UNITED STATES. IF THE NEXT POPE IS FROM LATIN AMERICA, ASIA, OR AFRICA, WE SHOULD EXPECT THE VATICAN TO TAKE POSITIONS FURTHER TO THE “LEFT OF CURRENT U.S. POSITIONS ON ECONOMIC ISSUES, BUT FURTHER “RIGHT” ON SOCIAL ISSUES.
MIDDLE EAST
-----------
¶8. (C) MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS (MEPP): THE HOLY SEE DENIES WANTING TO BECOME INVOLVED IN THE POLITICAL CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 VATICA 03507 02 OF 04 031715Z ASPECTS OF THE MEPP, ALTHOUGH IT REMAINS KEENLY INTERESTED IN WHAT IT TERMS THE “CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS” ASPECTS OF THE HOLY SITES IN THE REGION (SPECIFICALLY JERUSALEM). THE VATICAN MAINTAINS THAT ITS CONCERNS HAVE BEEN LARGELY IGNORED BY THE USG AND THE ISRAELIS, AND IN 1999 WORKED WITH THE FRENCH AND SEVERAL OTHER EU COUNTRIES IN THE “JERUSALEM WORKING GROUP” (JWG -- SINCE INACTIVE).
¶9. (C) THE VATICAN WAS CLEARLY DISAPPOINTED WHEN THE USG AND GOI DECLINED TO ASSOCIATE WITH THE JWG INITIATIVE. THE GOI’S DECISION TO ALLOW CONSTRUCTION OF THE NAZARETH MOSQUE CREATED ALARM (AND IN SOME CASES, RESENTMENT) AT THE VATICAN. THE GOI FOR ITS PART WAS CONCERNED THAT THE POPE LEFT UNANSWERED BASHIR ASSAD’S ANTI-SEMITIC INVECTIVE DURING THE POPE’S MAY 2001 SYRIA VISIT. WE CAN EXPECT CONTINUED TENSION IN THESE AREAS. THE HOLY SEE WILL CONTINUE TO SEEK TO PLAY A ROLE IN THE MEPP, WHILE DENYING THIS INTENTION. EMBASSY VATICAN CONTINUES TO RECOMMEND A HIGH LEVEL VISIT TO ENCOURAGE THE VATICAN TO PLAY A MORE CONSTRUCTIVE, OR AT LEAST LESS UNHELPFUL, ROLE IN THE PROCESS.
ASIA
----
¶10. (C) THE VATICAN AND THE U.S. SHARE INTERESTS IN MANY OF THE SAME COUNTRIES (E.G. INDONESIA, CHINA, TAIWAN, VIETNAM), BUT NOT ALWAYS FOR THE SAME REASONS. IN ADDITION TO THE FORMAL CHURCH NETWORK NUMEROUS, OFTEN SEMI-AUTONOMOUS, CATHOLIC MISSIONARY ORGANIZATIONS CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 04 VATICA 03507 02 OF 04 031715Z OPERATING THROUGHOUT ASIA HAVE A SOPHISTICATED UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THEIR AREA. CONTACT WITH THESE MISSIONARY ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDES UNIQUE INSIGHTS INTO CONDITIONS IN THESE COUNTRIES. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH IN ASIA IS AN EXPRESS GOAL OF THE CHURCH. THE VATICAN AND ITS CONSTITUENT EPISCOPATES ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN DIALOGUES WITH POLITICALLY POWERFUL MUSLIM AND CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX FAITHS. THE RESULTS OF THESE DIALOGUES WILL IMPACT PROSPECTS FOR DEMOCRACY, STABILITY, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES.
¶11. (C) CHINA: WITH ITS OWN NETWORK OF CONTACTS AMONG CHINA’S UNDERGROUND AND PATRIOTIC CHURCHES, THE HOLY SEE HAS EXCELLENT SOURCES OF INFORMATION REGARDING DISSIDENTS, HUMAN RIGHTS, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND GOVERNMENT CONTROL OVER THE POPULATION. THERE IS A CONSTANT CONTROVERSY AROUND THE EFFORTS TO ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES. THIS ISSUE INVOLVES THE VATICAN’S RELATIONS WITH TAIWAN AND CHINESE GOVERNMENT REGULATION OF RELIGIOUS PRACTICE. BEIJING’S REGULATION AND OFTEN OPPRESSION OF THE CATHOLIC
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ8394
PAGE 01 VATICA 03507 03 OF 04 031721Z ACTION ECA-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AMAD-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 DODE-00 DS-00 EUR-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 VCE-00 DCP-01 NSAE-00 SSO-00 SS-00 SNIS-00 NISC-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 SAS-00 /003W ------------------00B442 031721Z /38 O 031203Z JUL 01 FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0000 WHITEHOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 03 OF 04 VATICAN 003507
SIPDIS
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE, PD/ECA (SEXTON), WHITE HOUSE FOR JOSEPH HAGIN, BRADLEY BLAKEMAN AND MARY HAINES, PLEASE PASS TO NSC FOR AMB. FREID
EMBASSY VATICAN MESSAGE NO. 107/01
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/11
TAGS: PREL PHUM IS EG CH ID PHUM IS EG CH ID PHUM IS EG CH ID PHUM IS EG CH ID VT VTPREL VTPREL VTPREL
SUBJECT: THE VATICAN-- THE SUPRANATIONAL POWER
CHURCH IS PARALLEL TO AND THEREFORE A WINDOW ON PROBLEMS IN CHINA WITH U.S.-BASED PROTESTANT CHURCHES AS WELL AS ISLAM AND BUDDHISM. THE CENTRALIZED STRUCTURE OF THE CHURCH AND THE REPORTING SYSTEM WITH THE NUNCIOS AND CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 VATICA 03507 03 OF 04 031721Z BISHOPS, NOT TO MENTION INDEPENDENT MISSIONARY GROUPS, GIVES EMBASSY VATICAN A UNIQUE VIEW OF EVENTS INSIDE CHINA.
¶12. (C) VIETNAM: UNOFFICIAL DISCUSSIONS CONTINUE BETWEEN VIETNAM AND THE VATICAN ON ESTABLISHING DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS. THE GOV’S ATTEMPT TO CONTROL RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS IS ONE OF THE MAIN STUMBLING BLOCKS FROM A VATICAN PERSPECTIVE. THE VATICAN’S ATTEMPTS TO APPOINT BISHOPS WITH MINIMAL GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE AND THE REPORTING PROVIDED BY ITS NUNCIO ON THESE EFFORTS CAN BE USED AS A GAUGE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ISSUES IN VIETNAM.
¶13. (C) INDIA: INDIA HAS SEEN SIGNIFICANT SECTARIAN VIOLENCE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, AS MUCH AGAINST MUSLIMS AS CHRISTIANS. RESOLUTION OF THIS VIOLENCE IS A KEY TO DEMOCRACY, STABILITY AND THE GUARANTEE OF HUMAN RIGHTS. THE VATICAN, LOCAL BISHOPS WHO REPORT TO THE VATICAN, AND VARIOUS MISSIONARY ORGANIZATIONS WILL ALL CONTINUE TO BE ACTIVE OBSERVERS OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AND DEVELOPMENTS.
¶14. (C) INDONESIA: EAST TIMOR IS POISED TO BECOME THE SECOND CATHOLIC COUNTRY IN ASIA (THE OTHER IS THE PHILIPPINES). THE VATICAN, THROUGH ITS BISHOPS, HAS BEEN DEEPLY INVOLVED IN RECONCILIATION EFFORTS FOR YEARS. THE VATICAN IS INVOLVED IN RECONSTRUCTION EFFORTS IN EAST TIMOR. IN OTHER PARTS OF INDONESIA WRACKED BY SECTARIAN VIOLENCE, THE CATHOLIC PRESENCE IS LESS PRONOUNCED, BUT CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE SITUATION. CATHOLIC PRELATES HAVE ALSO ACTED AS CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 VATICA 03507 03 OF 04 031721Z MEDIATORS BETWEEN OTHER CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES AND MUSLIM GROUPS. VISITS OF THE INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER AND PRESIDENT TO THE VATICAN UNDERSCORE THE INFLUENCE THE VATICAN HAS ON A COUNTRY OF SIGNIFICANT POLICY INTEREST TO THE USG.
¶15. (C) NORTH KOREA: VATICAN OFFICIALS, AND CATHOLIC RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS PERIODICALLY VISIT NORTH KOREA. WE LEARN FROM THEIR VISITS AND WE CAN GIVE SUGGESTIONS TO OUR CONTACTS FOR POINTS TO RAISE WITH NORTH KOREAN OFFICIALS.
AFRICA
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¶16. (C) GREAT LAKES: VATICAN CONTACTS ADMIT PRIVATELY THAT CHURCH RELATIONS WITH LATE DROC PRESIDENT LAURENT KABILA BEGAN ON THE WRONG FOOT BECAUSE OF KABILA’S MINDSET AND THE CHURCH’S PREVIOUS ASSOCIATION WITH THE MOBUTU REGIME. REAL HUMANITARIAN CONCERNS AND RELIGIOUS (EVANGELIZATION) CONSIDERATIONS PUT AFRICA ON THE SCREEN AT THE VATICAN. THE VATICAN AFFILIATED SANT’EGIDIO COMMUNITY PLAYS AN IMPORTANT SUPPORTING ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS TO MEDIATE THE CRISIS, KEEPING THE VATICAN INFORMED OF THEIR EFFORTS.
LATIN AMERICA
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¶17. (C) CUBA: THE POPE’S 1998 VISIT TO CUBA HAS NOT BROUGHT THE KIND OF PROGRESS ON CHURCH FREEDOM SOUGHT BY CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 04 VATICA 03507 03 OF 04 031721Z THE POPE. THAT SAID, VATICAN-GOC DIALOGUE HAS CONTINUED WITH FOLLOW-UP VISITS TO CUBA BY SENIOR VATICAN OFFICIALS -- AND TO THE VATICAN BY CUBAN COUNTERPARTS. AMONG THE TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: THE GOC’S TREATMENT OF THE CUBAN CHURCH, THE STATUS OF DISSIDENTS, AND THE EFFECTS OF THE U.S. EMBARGO, ABOUT WHICH THE HOLY SEE SHARES CASTRO’S CRITICISM. THE VATICAN IS QUIETLY LOOKING AHEAD TO THE DAY WHEN FIDEL CASTRO DEPARTS THE SCENE. IT IS CONCERNED HOWEVER, THAT HIS REPLACEMENT CAN ACTUALLY BE WORSE.
EUROPE
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¶18. (C) THE VATICAN WOULD LIKE TO SEE A UNIFIED, CHRISTIAN (IE. CATHOLIC) EUROPE. AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY ITS DIALOG WITH THE LEADING PROTESTANT GROUPS IN GERMANY AND SCANDINAVIA. THE VATICAN WILL ALSO CONTINUE ATTEMPTS TO ENGAGE THE RUSSIAN CHURCH AND THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN ISTANBUL IN AN ATTEMPT TO HEAL THE LATIN/ORTHODOX RIFT. VATICAN INVOLVEMENT IN THE BALKANS CAN BE USEFUL TO U.S. POLICY IF IT IS DIRECTED AT PROMOTING CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ8397
PAGE 01 VATICA 03507 04 OF 04 031723Z ACTION ECA-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AMAD-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 DODE-00 DS-00 EUR-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 VCE-00 DCP-01 NSAE-00 SSO-00 SS-00 SNIS-00 NISC-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 SAS-00 /003W ------------------00B486 031723Z /38 O 031203Z JUL 01 FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0000 WHITEHOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 04 OF 04 VATICAN 003507
SIPDIS
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE, PD/ECA (SEXTON), WHITE HOUSE FOR JOSEPH HAGIN, BRADLEY BLAKEMAN AND MARY HAINES, PLEASE PASS TO NSC FOR AMB. FREID
EMBASSY VATICAN MESSAGE NO. 107/01
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/11
TAGS: PREL PHUM IS EG CH ID PHUM IS EG CH ID PHUM IS EG CH ID PHUM IS EG CH ID VT VTPREL VTPREL VTPREL
SUBJECT: THE VATICAN-- THE SUPRANATIONAL POWER
COEXISTENCE. CONTINUED VATICAN CRITICISM OF “U.S. MATERIALISM AND COMMERCIALISM” COULD BE USED BY MANY IN EUROPE TO SUPPORT ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF LIMITING U.S. INFLUENCE AND ACTIVITY ON THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT. CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 VATICA 03507 04 OF 04 031723Z
¶19. (C) AREAS IN WHICH WE CAN WORK CONSTRUCTIVELY WITH THE VATICAN DURING THE NEXT 12 MONTHS:
-- ETHNIC RECONCILIATION AND CIVIL CULTURE - IN JUNE, PD/ECA DAS BRIAN SEXTON MET WITH VATICAN AND SANT’EGIDIO OFFICIALS DURING A PD/ECA SPONSORED INTER-RELIGIOUS CONFERENCE ON BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA. EMBASSY VATICAN, WITH DEPARTMENT GUIDANCE, IS SEEKING TO DEVELOP FOLLOW-UP PROJECTS;
-- ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS -- POST HAS DEVELOPED TWO PROJECTS IN CONJUNCTION WITH CARITAS (THE VATICAN RELIEF NGO) AND WITH THE ARCHBISHOP OF PESCARA. THESE PROJECTS WILL OFFER EDUCATION, RESCUE, REHABILITATION, AND REPATRIATION TO VICTIMS AND POTENTIAL VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKERS. WORKING WITH THE CURIA AND CARITAS THERE IS MUCH MORE GROUND TO BE COVERED IN THIS AREA IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
-- BIOTECHNOLOGY AND AGRICULTURAL TRADE -- EMBASSY VATICAN HAS SPONSORED TWO DISCUSSIONS OF THIS THEME INVOLVING SCIENTIFIC EXPERTS ATTACHED TO THE VATICAN. PROMOTING A MORE POSITIVE VATICAN APPROACH TO APPROPRIATE USE OF GMOS IN THIRD WORLD AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT COULD HELP MAKE GMOS MORE WIDELY ACCEPTED EVEN IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD.
¶20. (C) AREAS IN WHICH WE SHOULD EXPECT CONTINUED DIFFICULTIES DURING THE NEXT 12 MONTHS:
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 VATICA 03507 04 OF 04 031723Z -- THE MIDDLE EAST - THE VATICAN WILL CONTINUE TO OPPOSE U.S. EFFORTS TO ISOLATE SADDAM HUSSEIN. WE SHOULD RECOGNIZE THAT THE VATICAN WILL NOT SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS IN IRAQ, AND INVESTIGATE WAYS TO LIMIT VATICAN INTERFERENCE WITH OUR OBJECTIVES. IN ISRAEL, THE VATICAN WILL CONTINUE EFFORTS TO INSERT ITSELF ON THE QUESTION OF THE STATUS OF JERUSALEM;
-- DEATH PENALTY - THE VATICAN WILL CONTINUE ITS CONDEMNATION OF THE DEATH PENALTY. STATEMENTS BY THE POPE ARE LIKELY TO BE USED BY MANY AROUND THE WORLD TO CONDEMN CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN THE UNITED STATES. THE DEPARTMENT SHOULD CONSIDER IF IT WANTS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE, AND IF SO, WHAT PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AVENUES TO USE. MMERANTE
CONFIDENTIAL
>
2001VATICA03507 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
HOLY SEE: SCENESETTER FOR THE PRESIDENT’S JULY 10 VISIT
09VATICAN78 2009-06-26 16:04
VZCZCXRO0076
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHROV #0078/01 1771637
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O P 261637Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1125
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 0019
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA PRIORITY 0036
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 0030
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY 0014
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES PRIORITY 0007
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 0022
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA PRIORITY 0012
RUEHLU/AMEMBASSY LUANDA PRIORITY 0001
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE PRIORITY 0001
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 1163
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 VATICAN 000078
SIPDIS
FOR THE PRESIDENT FROM THE CHARGE D’AFFAIRES
EO 12958 DECL: 6/26/2019
TAGS PREL, PGOV, VT
SUBJECT: HOLY SEE: SCENESETTER FOR THE PRESIDENT’S JULY 10 VISIT
REF: A. A) VATICAN 72 B. B) VATICAN 63 C. C) VATICAN 59 D. D) VATICAN 52 E. E) VATICAN 38
VATICAN 00000078 001.2 OF 005
CLASSIFIED BY: Julieta Valls Noyes, CDA, EXEC, State. REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) Mr. President, it’s an honor to welcome you and your family to the Vatican, the world’s smallest sovereign state, and one with global clout.
Summary
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¶1. (C/NF) Holy See officials also are pleased you are visiting. Your meeting with Pope Benedict XVI will be an opportunity to discuss our shared commitments to overarching goals such as peace, justice, development, human dignity, and inter-faith understanding. From the Vatican’s perspective, it will also provide a forum to discuss sensitive bioethical issues in a mutually respectful way. In your meeting with him, or possibly with other Vatican officials on the margins, you may cover other topics of special interest, such as the Middle East, Iraq, immigration, and the environment. Your discussions at the Holy See will help deepen our mutual collaboration on issues around the world. End Summary.
Context for Your Visit
----------------------
¶2. (C/NF) The Vatican is second only to the United States in the number of countries with which it enjoys diplomatic relations (188 and 177 respectively), and there are Catholic priests, nuns and lay people in every country on the planet. As a result, the Holy See is interested and well informed about developments all over the globe. This year marks the 25th anniversary of formal relations between the U.S. and Holy See. The Holy See is the global government of the Catholic Church, which it operates from Vatican City State, a sovereign territory of a quarter of a square mile.
¶3. (C/NF) The Holy See in many ways welcomed your election, as demonstrated by the Pope’s immediate letter of congratulation. Vatican officials have been impressed by many of your initiatives, especially on foreign policy. The Vatican newspaper, the “Osservatore Romano,” has welcomed your positions on the Israeli-Palestinian situation, outreach to Muslims, disarmament, Cuba and the environment. The Holy See has appreciated your multilateralism and focus on human rights, including your decisions to run for the Human Rights Council and close the Guantanamo detainee facility. Nevertheless, although it does not generally express them publicly, the Vatican also has profound concerns about your Administration’s positions on abortion and embryonic stem cell research. The Vatican has allowed the American Catholic Church to take the lead in enunciating these concerns. This is a tactical decision, and should not be interpreted as a divergence of views between Rome and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The Vatican trusts the USCCB, is proud of the work that Catholic organizations do in the U.S., and relies on the generosity of American Catholics to support the Vatican and Catholic causes worldwide. On balance, the Vatican regards your Presidency favorably and will seek to focus more on the areas of policy convergence between us than on the issues that divide us.
Pope Benedict XVI
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¶4. (C/NF) The Pope has had a rocky year, having confronted controversies about Catholic-Jewish relations and his views on AIDS prevention, and breakdowns in internal Vatican communications related to the controversies. At the same time, he also took crucial, successful trips to the Middle East and Africa. He is looking forward to meeting you. The Pope genuinely likes Americans and the United States, and enjoyed his visit there last year. He admires the U.S. model of secularism, where the church and state are separate but which he says “allows for professing belief in God and respects the public role of religion and churches.” The Pope has made promotion of international religious freedom a central objective of his papacy, and appreciates U.S. support for this goal. As the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide and enjoying
VATICAN 00000078 002.2 OF 005
respect as well from non-Catholics, the Pope wields an unparalleled moral megaphone. He uses it carefully, speaking publicly in generic, neutral terms about the need for peace and social justice rather than criticizing individual states. Behind closed doors, he sometimes takes on specific issues more directly. In that context, a Vatican official had told us that the Pope probably will raise abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and social justice issues -- especially immigration -- with you.
Bioethical Issues
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¶5. (C/NF) The Catholic Church teaches that abortion is wrong. Vatican officials grudgingly accept that abortion is legal in the U.S., but oppose making it more widely available. Internationally, the Vatican would forcefully oppose USG advocacy of legalizing abortion elsewhere, financing foreign abortions, or making abortion an international “reproductive right.” The Vatican would welcome an honest, respectful dialogue with the United States on abortion. Vatican officials followed your Notre Dame speech closely. While clearly not agreeing with everything you said, they were very pleased by your calls to reduce the number of women seeking abortions, make adoption more available, and provide support for pregnant women. They appreciated your commitment to “honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion,” and especially welcomed the call for a sensible conscience clause for health care workers.
¶6. (C/NF) The Vatican opposes embryonic stem cell research on the grounds that it leads to the destruction of human embryos. It has no objection to non-embryonic stem cell research. As new techniques now allow research with adult stem cells, the Vatican says the use of embryonic stem cells is not justified scientifically either.
Financial Crisis, the Poor, and Immigration
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¶7. (C/NF) The Vatican has been very vocal about protecting the world’s most vulnerable people from harm caused by the global financial crisis. In a letter to UK PM Gordon Brown, for example, the Pope wrote, “Development aid, including the commercial and financial conditions favorable to less developed countries and the cancellation of the external debt of the poorest and most indebted countries, has not been the cause of the crisis and out of fundamental justice must not be its victim.” The Vatican criticizes “consumerist” societies, strongly supports the UN Millennium Development Goals, and hopes all countries will redouble efforts to meet their MDG pledges. The Vatican has long supported freer migration between nations to permit the poor to begin new lives. The USCCB has made immigration reform a priority in the U.S., and the Pope will likely mention this in his discussions with you. The Pope is expected to issue the second “encyclical” (letter addressed to the whole world about pressing moral issues) of his papacy sometime during the week before your meeting. It will cover social justice concerns, and the Pope will likely mention it to you. (Embassy will forward a copy to the White House as soon as it is available.)
Food Security
-------------
¶8. (C/NF) Similarly, the Vatican is very worried about declining nutrition in the poorest countries. The Vatican has not taken a formal position on genetically modified (GM) crops -- some Church leaders oppose them because GM technology is mostly in the hands of multinational corporations, while others support their use as an element in a larger strategy to address world hunger. In his World Food Day message in October 2008, the Pope noted that the world can produce enough food to meet increasing needs, but said factors like speculation in foodstuffs, corrupt public officials, and growing investments in weapons prevented food from reaching the hungry. He called on world leaders to conclude negotiations to ensure food security, and to pursue relations “based on the reciprocal exchange of knowledge, values, rapid assistance and respect.”
Environmental Issues
VATICAN 00000078 003.2 OF 005
--------------------
¶9. (C/NF) The Pope speaks frequently about the importance of caring for God’s creation. Vatican City is the world’s first carbon-neutral state, offsetting its emissions through use of renewable energy and a reforestation project. It has not, however, taken a position on carbon emissions trade. The Vatican is now using solar energy to power some facilities and is reducing its energy consumption overall, planning to be 20% energy self-sufficient by 2020. The Holy See is an active observer at the UN Environment Program, Food and Agriculture Organization and other international fora, and will participate in the December Copenhagen Conference also as an observer. The Pope has even joined with other religious leaders like Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to issue moral appeals to their faithful on humanity’s responsibility to be good stewards of nature. The Vatican’s environmental message is consistent: nature is a gift from God, so human beings have a responsibility to care for and not to abuse it.
Arms Reduction
--------------
¶10. (C/NF) The Vatican welcomed your call to eliminate nuclear weapons, and has long advocated arms reductions and non-proliferation. The Holy See was one of the initial signatories to the Convention on Cluster Munitions in December 2008 - and ratified it the same day. (The Vatican of course has no such weapons itself and becomes party to such agreements to serve as a moral example.) The Pope has advocated the elimination of land mines, and the Holy See is a party to the Mine Ban Treaty. Speaking at the UN in May, the Vatican envoy reaffirmed the Vatican’s support for nuclear non-proliferation and outlined five steps for nations to take to eliminate the nuclear weapons threat: adherence to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, opening negotiations for a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty, ending reliance on nuclear arms as part of military policy among nuclear states, giving the International Atomic Energy Association oversight over peaceful use of nuclear energy and expanding it role to include non-proliferation, and developing a new international agreement on nuclear fuel.
Inter-faith Understanding
-------------------------
¶11. (C/NF) The Vatican praised your Cairo speech, especially the sections on religious freedom and diversity, the Israeli-Palestinian situation, and Iran. The Vatican itself has worked for decades on improving understanding with the Islamic world, including through a pontifical institute for the study of Arabic and Islam. It stepped up inter-faith discussions after the September 11 attacks, and then again following the negative Muslim reaction to a 2006 speech by the Pope that some argued demeaned Islam. Key dialogues are with: the “group of 138” - moderate Muslim scholars and clerics - supported by Jordan; Iranian clerics; Al-Azar University in Cairo, which co-hosted your speech; and Saudi authorities. The Vatican’s primary objective for these talks is to promote religious freedom. The Holy See does not believe theological agreements with Islam are possible, but is convinced that better mutual knowledge will allay suspicions and facilitate peaceful co-existence, which they consider an even higher goal than simple “tolerance.” Another Vatican goal is supporting pragmatic inter-faith cooperation on social welfare programs. The Vatican believes governments should ensure religious freedom, but not be directly involved in interreligious dialogue (which by its nature should be between religious leaders).
Middle East Peace Process
-------------------------
¶12. (C/NF) Peace in the “Holy Land” is one of the Vatican’s top priorities, and was one of the central themes of the Pope’s May visit to Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories. Despite criticism from some media and extremists, the trip was substantively successful. The Pope avoided any major mis-steps (always a difficult prospect for a Pontiff in visiting this area) and delivered the message that a two-state solution is the key to peace. He emphasized that the use of violence to achieve political objectives is morally unacceptable. He called for
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inter-faith dialogue and protection of Christian minorities. His messages largely mirror the U.S. approach to the region. This provides opportunities for further engagement with the U.S. in advancing peace initiatives there.
Iraq and Christians
-------------------
¶13. (C/NF) The Holy See publicly opposed U.S. intervention in Iraq. Once fighting began, however, the Vatican focus shifted to securing peace and justice, rebuilding the Iraqi economy, and protecting minority Christian communities. Holy See officials welcome your proposals for responsible withdrawal of U.S. troops, provided this does not create a security vacuum, particularly in Christian areas. The Vatican appreciates U.S. resettlement of the most vulnerable Iraqi victims of persecution -- including many Christians-- but seeks to avoid large-scale exodus of Christians from that country. (Regional bishops estimate as many as half of the region’s 300-400,000 Chaldean Christians have left, and believe they will not return.) The Vatican was deeply concerned last fall that quotas set for Iraq’s provincial elections system might reduce Christian representation in local governments, fueling further emigration. It took the unusual step of formally asking the USG to press the Iraqis to increase the quotas for Christians. Despite a boycott threat, Christians ultimately participated in the provincial elections. The future of the Christian communities in Iraq will remain high on the Vatican agenda before and after the U.S. military drawdown.
Africa
------
¶14. (C/NF) The Pope travelled to Africa in March. He grabbed headlines with an interview he gave en route saying that the use of condoms contributed to the spread of AIDS. The Vatican later clarified the Pope’s comments, saying that condoms are not always 100% effective and noting studies that show condom distribution increases promiscuity. Benedict XVI has called on world leaders to pay special attention to the needs of the Continent - where one in four people suffer from chronic hunger -- this year. In a letter to the German President, Pope Benedict wrote that the “support of the international community is needed...precisely because the current financial and economic crisis is particularly affecting Africa.” The Pontiff has pledged the Church’s continued assistance to the weakest sectors of Africa’s population. (The UN estimates that Catholic charities provide 17% of health care in sub-Saharan Africa; the Church also runs schools, homes for the aged, re-integration centers for child soldiers and other programs there.) Bishops from Africa will gather in Rome in October for a month to discuss needs on the continent.
Cuba
----
¶15. (C/NF) The Church is the only major institution in Cuba that is independent from the government. The Vatican hopes for a transition to democracy in Cuba, but is not at the forefront of that battle because it is more concerned about protecting its small space for operations in Cuba. The Vatican opposes the U.S. embargo, which it believes hurts poor Cubans disproportionately. It welcomed your decision to remove limits on family visitation and remittances. Vatican officials believe that exchanging the five Cuban spies imprisoned in the U.S. for political prisoners in Cuba is worth discussing, and have urged the U.S. to grant visas to the wives of the spies to allow them to visit.
Turkey EU Accession
-------------------
¶16. (C/NF) As Cardinal Ratzinger, the Pope had expressed uneasiness about the notion Turkish accession to the EU. The Holy See’s position now is that as a non-EU member the Vatican has no role in promoting or vetoing Turkey’s membership. The Vatican might prefer to see Turkey develop a special relationship short of membership with the EU, but Vatican Secretary of State (Prime Minister-equivalent) Bertone has stated that Turkey should become a member if it meets all the EU
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criteria - including full protection of human rights and religious freedoms.
Iran
----
¶17. (C/NF) The Holy See is deeply concerned about the recent violence and ongoing human rights violations in Iran. It has been publicly silent to date on the current crisis, in part to preserve its ability to act as an intermediary if an international crisis emerges. (The Vatican helped secure the release of British sailors detained in Iranian waters in April 2007.) It is unclear how much clout the Vatican really has with Iran, however. NOYES
AN INVENTORY OF THE VATICAN'S INTERFAITH DIALOGUES
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SIPDIS
DEPT FOR G, S/P, S/GPI, AND S/SRMC
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2019
TAGS: PREL PHUM KIRF SOCI SCUL VT
SUBJECT: AN INVENTORY OF THE VATICAN'S INTERFAITH DIALOGUES
REF: A. 08 VATICAN 87
¶B. VATICAN 124
¶C. 08 USUN 1126
¶D. VATICAN 106
¶E. VATICAN 122
¶F. VATICAN 100
¶G. VATICAN 126
VATICAN 00000134 001.2 OF 003
CLASSIFIED BY: Julieta Valls Noyes, DCM, EXEC, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b)
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Vatican is a leader or partner in many
inter-religious dialogues, primarily with the "Abrahamic"
religions - Islam, Judaism, and of course, other Christians.
Vatican leaders are also beginning to reach out to Asian faiths.
This cable describes the Vatican's primary, organized
dialogues. Septels: A) analyze why the Vatican pursues
interfaith dialogue, and B) propose USG-Holy See collaboration
in support of such discussions. End Summary.
Dialogues with Muslim Communities and Nations
---------------------------------------------
¶2. (SBU) Formal, modern-day Vatican dialogue with the Muslim
world goes back for over a decade. It intensified following
September 11, 2001, and again after the controversy that erupted
over Pope Benedict XVI's September 2006 address in Regensberg.
Some of these dialogues have delivered concrete results; others
remain largely symbolic. Following are the formal,
institutionalized Vatican dialogues with Muslims:
-- Partnership with the Jordanian Royal Institute of Inter-Faith
Studies. Held its first colloquium on "Religions and Civil
Society" in Rome in 2009. Will meet every two years. The next
meeting will be in 2011 in Amman or Rome. (Note: This
institute is distinct from the Aal al-Bayt institute which is
part of the Catholic Muslim Forum). (See www.riifs.org.)
-- "A Common Word": The Catholic-Muslim Forum: First met in
Rome November 4-6, 2008. Muslim delegates - both Sunni and Shia
- selected by the Amman-based Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic
Thought. Final declaration called for religious freedom,
protection of minorities, respect for religious symbols, and
equal rights. Will meet every two years: 2010 Forum may meet in
Jordan or another Muslim-majority country (ref a). (See
www.acommonword.com.)
-- Saudi-sponsored dialogue: Initiated by Saudi King, through
the Mecca-based Muslim World League (a.k.a. the Rabita). King
of Spain hosted the first meeting in Madrid on July 18, 2008.
Second meeting held on margins of 2008 UNGA, attended by
then-President Bush and eighty-plus other senior officials.
Participants criticized terrorists who claimed to act in the
name of religion. Two additional meetings held in Vienna and
Geneva; latest resulting in agreement to create secretariat --
and possibly new center -- for interreligious dialogue in
Vienna, Austria (refs B and C). (See www.world-dialogue.org )
-- The Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions
First held in 2003. Meets in Astana, Kazakhstan every three
years. The next meeting will be in 2012. (See
www.religions-congress.org.)
-- Coordination Committee of the PCID and the World Islamic Call
Society (WICS) of Libya. The focus of this meeting is relations
between Muslims and Christians in sub-Saharan Africa, where the
WICS is active. First held in 2002. Meets every two years in
Tripoli or Rome. Next meeting in 2010.
-- The Joint Committee for Dialogue between the PCID and the
Permanent Committee of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, for
Dialogue between Monotheistic Religions. First held in 1998.
Meets at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo every year.
-- Dialogue with Center for Inter-Religious Dialogue of the
Islamic Culture and Relations Organization in Iran. This
Vatican partnership with Iran's Islamic Guidance Ministry dates
back to 1995. The subject of a recent meeting was "Human
dignity with special reference to bioethics." Meets in Tehran
every two years. The next meeting is in 2010. (See
http://en.icro.ir .)
-- The Islamic-Catholic Liaison Committee of the International
Forum for Dialogue. First held in 1995. Meets in Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia, every three years. Next meeting in 2012. (See
www.dialogueonline.org.)
VATICAN 00000134 002.2 OF 003
Other Avenues for Catholic-Muslim Encounters
--------------------------------------------
¶3. (SBU) The Holy See and the Arab League established diplomatic
relations in 2000. The League has a representative to the Holy
See based in Rome, and the Vatican's representative to the
League is the nuncio in Cairo. The Holy See and the League
signed a Memorandum of Understanding on April 23, 2009, to
strengthen joint projects to promote peace and dialogue,
especially on the political and cultural levels. The Memorandum
was signed by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Holy See's
Secretary of Relations with States, and Arab League Secretary
General Amr Moussa. Vatican officials note that the MOU has not
yet led to any concrete initiatives or dialogues.
¶4. (C) The Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue
signed a "Declaration of Intent" with the Department for
Religious Affairs of the Turkish Prime Minister's Cabinet on
April 25, 2002. Its aim was to promote inter-religious
dialogue, in particular by facilitating collaboration between
academic institutions. Progress in discussions with the Turks
is not coming quickly. The Vatican is disappointed that the
former Church of Paul of Tarsus is now a Turkish government-run
museum. The Vatican also supports Orthodox demands to reopen
the Halki seminary in Turkey, have the GOT recognize the
Ecumenical Patriarch as an international religious leader, and
grant greater religious freedoms to Orthodox and other
Christians.
¶5. (SBU) Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the
Inter-Religious Dialogue Council, travelled to Indonesia in
November 2009. It was the first visit of the Vatican's top
dialogue official to Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority
country in the world -- 206 million out of a population of 240
million. (There are 7 million Catholics in the country.)
Vatican and Indonesian officials continue to discuss concrete
initiatives for follow-up to this visit.
The Other Monotheistic Faiths: Jews and other Christians
--------------------------------------------- -----------
¶6. (SBU) Unlike relations with Islam, Vatican relations with
Jews are characterized by substantial theological common ground
and historic roots. Discussions between the two religions are
ongoing and broad-based. They are often intersected by
politics, and sometimes hurt by missteps. The Vatican's
long-standing dialogue initiatives with the Jews prospered in
the years since the Vatican II Council removed obstacles to good
relations. They took a big hit in January 2009, however, when
the Vatican restored communion to a schismatic Catholic group
that included a Holocaust-denying bishop. After considerable
effort by the Vatican and the Pope himself, relations have been
largely mended and were solidified with the Pope's visit to the
Holy Land in May 2009. Nevertheless, the proposed conferral of
sainthood on WWII-era Pope Pius XII and access by historians to
the archives of his pontificate are recurring irritants in the
relationship (ref D).
¶7. (SBU) Meanwhile, Vatican officials speak constantly with
followers of other Christian faiths in ecumenical dialogue
intended to overcome divisions between Christians. Indeed, the
Vatican has a separate Pontifical Council for Christian Unity
(which for historical reasons also covers dialogue with Jews).
These discussions have their ups and downs. While the Vatican
move in November 2009 to welcome disaffected Anglicans to the
Catholic Church dealt a blow to ecumenical understanding (ref
E), the rift is healing in part because few Anglicans will
probably take advantage of the Vatican offer. Meanwhile,
relations with the Russian Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow -- who
commands the allegiance of a large number of Orthodox and is
thus arguably more influential than Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew -- have improved. (ref F). This has allowed Moscow
and the Vatican to upgrade their "special character" to "full
diplomatic" relations (ref G).
¶8. (SBU) Ultimately, the monotheistic nature and shared historic
roots of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- all "people of the
book" - make dialogue between these three religions easier for
the Vatican in some ways than discussions with other religions.
An important interfaith meeting including senior leaders of the
world's major monotheistic religions, Christians (Catholic and
VATICAN 00000134 003.2 OF 003
Orthodox), Jews and Muslims, took place in Seville, Spain,
December 6-8, 2009. The King of Spain's "Three Cultures, Three
Faiths" Foundation sponsored the event. (VATICAN 124).
Outreach to Asian Faiths
------------------------
¶9. (C) Despite the difficulty for the Vatican of finding common
ground with polytheistic religions, Holy See officials are
starting to do just that in an effort to support peace,
religious freedom, human rights, and local solutions to local
problems (see septel). Cardinal Tauran travelled to India in
June 2009 for initial dialogue with Hindus. Tauran's goal was
to go beyond the positive assurances that had characterized
previous meetings with Hindu leaders. Specifically, he sought
to bridge the gap between his Indian interlocutors' stated
goodwill and the continuing hostility toward Christians in parts
of India like Orissa, especially by some Hindu nationalists.
The Vatican also raised concerns about Indian anti-conversion
laws -- although they have not been enforced. Cardinal Tauran
also traveled to Japan in August 2009, to initiate discussions
with Buddhists and other Asian faiths.
¶10. (SBU) Comment: Tauran acknowledges quietly that the Vatican
has not paid sufficient attention to relations with Asian
religions. He is not an expert on polytheistic religions and is
unlikely to find -- or even seek -- common theological ground
with their precepts. Instead, as he and his Council increase
their outreach to these communities, they will challenge their
interlocutors to remove obstacles to the enjoyment of religious
freedom for all. End comment.
Comment
-------
¶11. (C) The number and scope of the Vatican's inter-religious
dialogues is unparalleled by that of any other church or
organization in the world. The dialogues are already effective
in preventing or smoothing over misunderstandings and tensions.
The big question is how to translate into concrete actions the
high moral principles that the world's major religions bring to
the dialogue table. Septel includes proposals for USG
engagement with the Vatican in support of interreligious
understanding and action.
DIAZ
VATICAN BACKS AWAY FROM DEAL WITH INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST TASK FORCE
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SIPDIS
EO 12958 DECL: 10/16/2034
TAGS PREL, SCUL, VT, IS
SUBJECT: (C) VATICAN BACKS AWAY FROM DEAL WITH INTERNATIONAL
HOLOCAUST TASK FORCE
REF: A. VATICAN 25 B. VATICAN 99
VATICAN 00000106 001.2 OF 002
CLASSIFIED BY: Julieta Valls Noyes, DCM, EXEC, State. REASON:
1.4 (b) 1. (C) Summary: On October 13, the Holy See walked back from a prior written agreement to become an observer on the International Task Force on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research (ITF). The decision may been taken by the Vatican’s relatively inexperienced new deputy foreign minister, and if so, would not be the first time he has complicated Vatican foreign relations. But the Vatican may also be pulling back due to concerns about ITF pressure to declassify records from the WWII-era pontificate of Pope Pius XII. Regardless of the cause, the ITF will continue to pursue closer ties with the Holy See in the months ahead. End Summary.
High Hopes Dashed
-----------------
¶2. (C) Three members of the International Task Force on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research (ITF) visited Rome this week to finalize arrangements with the Holy See to become an ITF observer. However, over lunch on October 13, the team members told the Austrian Ambassador and UK and U.S. DCM’s that the plan had fallen apart completely that morning due to Vatican back-pedaling. Team members -- Austrian Ambassador Ferdinand Trauttsmandorff, U.S. Professor Steve Katz of the Elie Wiesel Center at Boston University, and Dina Porat, the Israeli academic advisor to the ITF -- expressed considerable disappointment about the unexpected set-back.
¶3. (C) They were especially chagrined, Trauttsmandorff said, because the Vatican had first offered more than the ITF asked then rescinded its commitment. Specifically, the ITF had suggested during a February visit to Rome that the Vatican enter into a “special arrangement” with the body. The February talks and follow up discussions went very well (ref a). Subsequently, the then-Deputy Foreign Minister-equivalent at the Holy See, Monsignor Pietro Parolin, wrote to the ITF to indicate that the Vatican wanted more than a “special arrangement” and was prepared to become an ITF observer. (Note: It’s unclear whether Parolin suggested permanent observer or observer country status for the Vatican. End Note)
New Vatican Team Disappoints
----------------------------
¶4. (C) On arrival in Rome in October, though, the ITF had to deal with a new team, as the highly-regarded Parolin had been promoted and sent as Nuncio to Venezuela. Parolin’s successor, Msgr. Ettore Balestrero, saw the ITF group instead, at what the ITF team expected to be the final meeting before signing an observer agreement. Surprising the ITF, Balestrero also invited a representative from the Vatican Archives, Msgr. Chappin, and the Holy See’s chief negotiator for the long-delayed Vatican-Israel Fundamental Agreement, Father David Jaeger.
¶5. (C) All three men, Trauttsmandorff said, evinced considerable discomfort with the idea of ITF observer status. Balestrero argued that the Vatican needed to study the implications of the status further before committing, focusing on legalistic impediments that Parolin had already dismissed. Jaeger was hostile overall to the ITF, Porat said. She fiercely criticized his inclusion, saying he had no role to play in a discussion of the ITF’s relationship with the Vatican. XXXXXXXXXXXX Porat said that if Jaeger was so rigid about closer ties with the ITF while Austria held its rotating chair, no progress would be possible next year when Israel chairs the body. Trauttsmandorff was less harsh than his colleague but allowed the Jaeger’s involvement in the meeting was not constructive. XXXXXXXXXXXX
Connection to the Papal Archives?
---------------------------------
¶6. (C) The three ITF visitors agreed that Chappin, who had previously been more open to dialogue with them, was very defensive at the October 13 meeting. He believed that the ITF would ask the Archives to release ahead of schedule the documents from the papacy of Pius XII, the World War II-era Pope. (Note: The Vatican releases the documents from each pontificate as a whole. End Note) DCM said that Father Norbert Hofmann, Secretary of the Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with Jews, had told her the preceding week that the files from the entire papacy would be ready for declassification in about five years. Katz thought this was far too rosy a
VATICAN 00000106 002.2 OF 002
scenario given that only six-eight researchers are now reviewing the documents. Although this number is up from the one-two working on them a year ago, he thought it was insufficient to catalog and review the 16 million documents from the Pius XII Papacy.
¶7. (C) The ITF members acknowledged their wish to gain access to the Pius XII files as soon as possible. Nevertheless, they also accepted the Vatican’s arguments, shared by DCM, that ordained clergy must review them first given the possibility that the files contain confessional documents from individual Catholics. Trauttsmandorff insisted, however, that the ITF sought a relationship with the Vatican not only to get access to the Vatican Archives, but also to work jointly with Catholic Church leaders in many countries on anti-racism and remembrance education.
Now What?
---------
¶8. (C) Despite the disappointment, the ITF members were determined to find a way to move ahead with the Vatican. They concluded that they must now educate new Deputy Foreign Minister Balestrero about the ITF and its role, just as they had done with his predecessor, Parolin. They would also reach out to friends in the Vatican, such as Cardinal Kasper, to exert influence on their behalf. UK DCM indicated that HMG would also express support for ITF goals in discussions with Vatican officials, as did U.S. DCM. The team members left discouraged but committed to keep their eyes on the long-term goal.
Comment
-------
¶9. (C) Unfortunately, the ITF is only the latest group to run into problems caused by the recent change of personnel at the Vatican Foreign Ministry - others, including this embassy (ref B), have experienced similar problems on other issues. What remains to be seen is whether the ITF’s problems are the results of Msgr. Balestrero’s growing pains or caused by deeper Vatican uneasiness related to declassification of their Archives. The ITF team did not believe the Vatican was sending - via the decision to slow progress on the ITF observer status -- a subtle message to Israel about the need for progress in the Fundamental Agreement talks. Time will tell. DIAZ