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WikiLeaks: 2010-02-02: 10VATICAN18: Vatican Official On Iraq...
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PP RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDH RUEHFL RUEHKUK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHSL
RUEHSR
DE RUEHROV #0018 0331646
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 021646Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1249
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 1288
C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000018
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/2/2030
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PREF KIRF IZ VT
SUBJECT: VATICAN OFFICIAL ON IRAQ AND PLANNED MEETING OF MIDDLE EAST BISHOPS
REF: A. LORENZ-NOYES JANUARY 28 EMAIL
¶B. 09 BAGHDAD 3298
CLASSIFIED BY: Rafael P. Foley, Pol Chief.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
¶1. (C) Summary: The Vatican's Secretariat of State point person
for the Middle East, Monsignor Alberto Ortega, said the bishops
of Iraq had urged the Vatican to convene a special Middle East
"synod" (meeting of bishops) this Fall. Although violence is
down, the Vatican is concerned about the future of Iraqi
Christians. Ortega said insecurity drove many Christians to
emigrate and lamented there was not greater unity among Iraqi
bishops to address the community's problems. Ortega was not
previously aware but welcomed news of Vienna's Cardinal
Schonborn's visit to Washington (ref. A). End summary.
¶2. (C) Polchief and poloff met with Monsignor Ortega on
February 1 to discuss developments in the Middle East and the
October 10-24, 2010 synod of bishops for the region. Ortega
noted that the working outline for the synod was released on
January 19 (see
https://vatican.state.gov/archives/holy_land_r esidents_get_c
hance.html
). Ortega said the outline -- prepared by a committee of
bishops from the region -- contains strong language on foreign
occupation and Islamic fundamentalism. Nevertheless, he
believes these references will be toned down in the actual
working document. The Pope will present the working document
formally to Middle East bishops during his visit to Cyprus in
June 2010.
¶3. (C) Ortega appreciated USG initiatives for religious
minorities in Iraq (ref. B), but expressed concern about the
security of Christians there despite the overall reduction in
violence. As an example, Ortega mentioned the killing of a
Christian shopkeeper in Mosul on January 11. Ortega said the
GOI needs to be more responsive to the security needs of the
Christian community, for example by deploying policemen to guard
threatened churches. Otherwise, Iraqi Christians will continue
to emigrate. At the same time, Ortega lamented the rivalries
and disagreements within the Chaldean church. He said the
Vatican has had to occasionally step in to urge these bishops to
work together for the benefit of their communities. The theme
chosen for the synod of bishops, "The Catholic Church in the
Middle East: Communion and Witness" underlines the importance
of unity in fostering the continued presence of Christians in
the region. This presence, Ortega said, is essential for
interfaith tolerance and goodwill.
¶4. (C) Ortega was not aware that the Archbishop of Vienna,
Cardinal Schornborn, was pursuing meetings with Department
officials regarding Iraq. The Archbishop's ex-officio role as
nominal leader of the Chaldean community in Austria may have led
to the requests, as Schornborn has probably heard about the
problems of Iraqi Christians from refugees in Austria. (Note:
Displaced Chaldeans may follow their own eastern rites outside
the Middle East, but fall under the jurisdiction of the
Latin-rite hierarchy of their host country, generally the
Archbishop of its largest city.) Ortega welcomed news of
Schornborn's meetings in Washington.
¶5. (C) Comment: The percentage of Christians in the Middle
East is very small and dropping. For the Vatican, however,
their importance goes well beyond their numbers: officials here
see the Middle East as a litmus test for interfaith coexistence
among diverse, autochthonous communities. The Vatican
recognizes the limits to proselytization in Muslim majority
countries, but has not lost hope that the mere presence
("testimony") of Christians will continue to offer others the
possibility to learn about Christianity. End comment.
DIAZ
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