POPE'S VISIT TO ARMENIA AND KAZAKHSTAN: VATICAN'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 VATICAN 005288 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI) FROM EMBASSY VATICAN MESSAGE NO. 170/01 E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/9/11 TAGS: PREL AM KZ TU RO UP BO BU VT SUBJECT: POPE'S VISIT TO ARMENIA AND KAZAKHSTAN: VATICAN'S GEOPOLITICAL/RELIGIOUS MANEUVERING CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR R. JAMES NICHOLSON FOR REASONS 1.5 (A) AND (D). 1.(C) SUMMARY: VATICAN OFFICIALS AND OBSERVERS DESCRIBE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 VATICA 05288 01 OF 03 111456Z POPE JOHN PAUL II'S SEPTEMBER 22-27 TRIP TO KAZAKHSTAN AND ARMENIA AS SUCCESSFUL. THE VATICAN HAD THREE OBJECTIVES FOR THIS TRIP: 1) CONTINUE THE PRESSURE ON THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH TO ALLOW A VISIT TO MOSCOW; 2) BOLSTER THE "MODERATE ISLAMIC" GOVERNMENT IN KAZAKHSTAN AND HOLD IT UP AS AN EXAMPLE; 3) INCREMENTALLY MOVE FORWARD THE DIALOG BETWEEN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH WHICH THE POPE HOPES WILL LEAD TO REUNIFICATION. END SUMMARY 2.(C) EMBASSY OFFICERS MET WITH SEVERAL VATICAN OFFICIALS AND OTHER DIPLOMATIC OBSERVERS IN WAKE OF POPE JOHN PAUL II'S VISIT TO KAZAKHSTAN AND ARMENIA SEPTEMBER 22-27. VATICAN DIRECTOR FOR RUSSIA AND THE FORMER STATES OF THE SOVIET UNION, ARCHBISHOP TRICARICO TOLD DCM THAT THE VISIT WAS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN FURTHER ISOLATING RUSSIAN ORTHODOX PATRIARCH ALEXI AND MAINTAINING PRESSURE TO PERMIT A VISIT TO MOSCOW IN THE RELATIVELY NEAR FUTURE. TRICARICO SAID THAT WITH THE VISIT TO KAZAKHSTAN, THE ANNOUNCED 2002 VISIT TO BULGARIA, AND PROBABLE VISIT TO BELARUS, THE POPE WILL HAVE "SURROUNDED" ALEXI. MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE POPE WILL HAVE SHOWN ALEXI THAT RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CLAIMS OF TERRITORIAL-CANONICAL PREROGATIVES ARE MEANINGLESS IN THE MODERN WORLD. IRONICALLY, ON OCTOBER 2, RUSSIAN EMBASSY TO THE VATICAN DCM, DMITRI SHTODIN SECONDED THIS VIEW TO DCM. SHTODIN SAID THAT HIS GOVERNMENT WAS PUTTING "PRESSURE" ON ALEXI TO INVITE THE POPE TO MOSCOW. HE NOTED THE RELATIVELY MODERATE STATEMENTS OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX'S CHURCH "MINISTER FOR FOREIGN RELATIONS" KYRIL CONCERNING THE POPE VISIT TO KAZAKHSTAN AS AN INDICATION THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS HAVING AN INFLUENCE. (NOTE: THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH DID CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 VATICA 05288 01 OF 03 111456Z NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT THE POPE'S VISIT TO ARMENIA AS THE ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH IS NOT IN COMMUNION WITH THE ORTHODOX CHURCH AND MOSCOW HAS NEVER CONSIDERED ARMENIA AS BEING IN ITS CANONICAL TERRITORY). TRICARICO SAID THE POPE DID NOT RAISE NAGORO/KARABACH WHILE IN YERAVAN. HOWEVER, WHEN DCM POSED THE SAME QUESTION TO RUSSIAN DCM SHTODIN THE REPLY WAS THAT HE HAD SEEN A REPORTING CABLE WHICH STATED THE ISSUE WAS DISCUSSED WITH THE ARMENIAN PRESIDENT. 3.(C) VATICAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER MIGLIORE (SEPTEL), TOLD POLOFF AND DCM THAT THE VATICAN IS CONVINCED THAT THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ARE FEELING THE PRESSURE, AND THAT A TRIP TO MOSCOW IS NO LONGER AN UNREACHABLE GOAL. DCM ALSO MET WITH FATHER GIOVANNI MATERA, THE RECTOR OF THE BASILICA OF SAINT NICOLAS IN BARI, ON OCTOBER 8. ALTHOUGH A ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, BARI AND THE CHURCH ARE THE CENTER OF RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH'S OFFICIAL REPRESENTATION TO ITALY (HAVING REJECTED ROME BECAUSE OF THE POPE'S PRESENCE). FATHER GIOVANNI SAID THAT THERE WILL BE A CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX MEETING HOSTED BY THE BASILICA ON NOVEMBER 25 WHICH METROPOLITAN KYRIL IS EXPECTED TO ATTEND; THE QUESTION OF THE POPE'S VISIT TO MOSCOW IS ON THE AGENDA. 4.(C) COMMENT: IN ADDITION TO FURTHER ISOLATING PATRIARCH ALEXI, THE VISIT TO KAZAKHSTAN WAS DESIGNED TO EXTOL RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE IN A PROMINENTLY MUSLIM COUNTRY. KAZAKHSTAN IS THE FIRST MUSLIM COUNTRY WHICH HAS CONCLUDED A CONCORDAT (EG. A TREATY REGULATING RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH) WITH THE VATICAN. THE VISIT TO KAZAKHSTAN IS PART OF THE VATICAN'S AGENDA FOR THE POPE TO CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 VATICA 05288 01 OF 03 111456Z VISIT MODERATE ISLAMIC COUNTRIES TO BOLSTER THEIR POPULARITY IN THE FACE OF ISLAMIC EXTREMISM. 5.(C) COMMENT CONT'D: THE MAIN THRUST OF THE VISIT TO ARMENIA WAS TO FURTHER THE PROCESS OF DIALOG BETWEEN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE APOSTOLIC CATHOLIC CHURCH. A SIDE BENEFIT WAS THE FACT THAT ARMENIA, BEING ANOTHER FORMER SOVIET REPUBLIC, WAS AN ADDITIONAL BLATANT REMINDER OF THE MOSCOW PATRIARCH'S OBSTINACY. THEOLOGICALLY, THE ROMAN CHURCH AND THE ARMENIAN CHURCH HAVE MADE GREAT STRIDES IN ELIMINATING THEIR DIFFERENCES. THE REMAINING PROBLEMS INCLUDE THE ROLE OF THE POPE, AS WELL AS THE ARMENIAN CHURCH'S COMMUNION WITH THE COPTIC CHURCH WHICH WANTS TO GO MUCH MORE SLOWLY ON ANY DISCUSSIONS ON REUNIFICATION WITH CONFIDENTIAL > 2001VATICA05288 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL