VATICAN KEEPING "DOORS OPEN" TO RUSSIAN ORTHODOX

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 003527 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI),DRL/IRF (FARR) EUR/RUS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/16/2012 TAGS: PREL PHUM KIRF PHUM KIRF VT RU VTPREL RU SUBJECT: VATICAN KEEPING "DOORS OPEN" TO RUSSIAN ORTHODOX DESPITE CONTINUED TENSIONS REF: A. A) VATICAN 2239 ¶B. B) VATICAN 3492 CLASSIFIED BY: CLASSIFIED BY D. BRENT HARDT, CDA, REASON E.O. 12958 1.5 (B,D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: CARDINAL WALTER KASPER, THE VATICAN OFFICIAL RESPONSIBLE FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY (INCLUDING THE DIALOGUE WITH RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH) SAID THAT THE HOLY CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 VATICA 03527 01 OF 02 170549Z SEE'S ATTEMPTS AT DIALOGUE WITH THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (ROC) ARE IN A DIFFICULT MOMENT AND NOT ADVANCING. KASPER TOLD INCOMING DCM THAT THE ROC REMAINS TOO NATIONALISTIC AND FALSELY PERCEIVES AS A THREAT THE TINY MINORITY OF CATHOLICS IN RUSSIA -- JUST OVER 251,000 BAPTIZED CATHOLICS. ACCORDING TO KASPER, THE POPE IS NOW RESIGNED TO THE LIKELIHOOD THAT HE WILL NEVER VISIT RUSSIA. THE ROC NEVERTHELESS CONTINUES A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH VARIOUS CATHOLIC INDIVIDUALS AND AGENCIES - NOTABLY THOSE THAT FUND ROC ACTIVITIES. DESPITE THE BECALMED HOLY SEE/ROC DIALOGUE, THE VATICAN WILL BE PATIENT AND KEEP ITS DOORS OPEN TO COOPERATION WITH THE ROC WHEREVER POSSIBLE. END SUMMARY. -------------- DIALOGUE RUNS AGROUND -------------- ¶2. (C) INCOMING DCM PAID A CALL JULY 16 ON CARDINAL WALTER KASPER, PREFECT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN UNITY. QUERIED ON THE STATE OF CATHOLIC/RUSSIAN ORTHODOX DIALOGUE, KASPER CONCEDED THAT IT WAS STALLED. HE SHARED VATICAN DFM MIGLIORE'S CONCERNS (REF B) AT THE GOR REFUSAL OF VISAS TO CATHOLIC CLERGY -- ESPECIALLY BISHOP MAZUR. HE SAID THE HOLY SEE HAD SENT A FORMAL, WRITTEN QUERY FROM THE POPE TO PRESIDENT PUTIN SIX WEEKS AGO ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION OF THE GROUNDS OF THAT VISA REFUSAL, BUT AS OF YET HAD HAD NO RESPONSE (SOMETHING HE CHARACTERIZED AS EXTRAORDINARY, UNDIPLOMATIC AND IMPOLITE). HE ALSO EXPRESSED DISMAY AT THE RECENT HARSH RHETORIC COMING FROM THE RUSSIAN PATRIARCH'S SPOKESMAN ACCUSING THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF COMPETING WITH THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 VATICA 03527 01 OF 02 170549Z -------------- RUSSIAN FEARS, VATICAN ASSURANCES -------------- ¶3. (C) CARDINAL KASPER SAID THAT THERE WERE MANY REASONS FOR THE LACK OF PROGRESS IN HOLY SEE/RUSSIAN ORTHODOX DIALOGUE: THE ROC IS "TOO NATIONALISTIC," UNFOUNDED FEARS OF A CATHOLIC THREAT TO ROC POWER AND INFLUENCE FROM THE 251,000 (BAPTIZED) CATHOLICS IN RUSSIA (VS. 105 MILLION RUSSIAN CITIZENS),AND "HISTORICAL" CONCERNS RELATING TO POLISH/RUSSIAN CONFLICTS IN CENTURIES PAST. (NOTE: IN REF A WE REPORTED VATICAN NIS COUNTRY DIRECTOR TRICARICO'S MORE UNVARNISHED ASSESSMENT: "THEY ARE ALL FORMER COLLABORATORS WHO HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO SHAKE OLD HABITS." END NOTE.) KASPER REPEATED THE VATICAN ASSERTION THAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT "PROSELYTIZE" IN RUSSIA. HE SAID THE CHURCH WOULD NOT TURN AWAY A RUSSIAN WHO IN GOOD CONSCIENCE SOUGHT TO JOIN, AS THIS WAS A MATTER OF FREEDOM OF RELIGION. BUT HE POINTED OUT THAT EVEN THE NUNS WHO CARE FOR RUSSIAN ORPHANS ENSURE THAT THOSE CHILDREN GO TO ORTHODOX, NOT CATHOLIC, CHURCHES EVERY SUNDAY. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SOME CATHOLICS MAY HAVE BEEN OVERZEALOUS, AS WERE SOME ORTHODOX. BUT THAT WAS NOT VATICAN POLICY. ¶4. (C) KASPER EXPLAINED THAT THE RECENT CREATION OF FOUR DIOCESES IN RUSSIA WAS NO MORE DECLARING RUSSIA TO BE "VATICAN TERRITORY" THAN WAS DECLARING THE 300-PLUS DIOCESES IN THE U.S.A. TO BE VATICAN TERRITORY. HE SAID THE CHURCH HAD AN APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATION IN RUSSIA IN CZARIST TIMES. THE RENEWED APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATIONS IN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 VATICA 03527 01 OF 02 170549Z AFTER 1990 HAD ONLY BEEN TEMPORARY MEASURES. ELEVATING THOSE AREAS TO DIOCESES WAS NEEDED TO PROVIDE PASTORAL CARE TO THE LARGELY ETHNIC POLES, LITHUANIAN, AND OTHER MINORITIES THAT HAD BEEN DISPERSED THROUGHOUT THE SOVIET UNION BY STALIN. -------------- POPE GIVING UP HOPE ON A MOSCOW VISIT -------------- ¶5. (C) ASKED WHETHER THE POPE STILL HOPED TO VISIT MOSCOW, KASPER REPLIED THAT IN HIS VIEW THE POPE HAD COME TO TERMS WITH THE FACT THAT HE WOULD NOT HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH RUSSIAN PATRIARCH ALEXIY AND HAD GIVEN UP ON THAT "DREAM." IT WAS PARTICULARLY TROUBLING TO THE PONTIFF BECAUSE HE HAD MET WITH ALL OF THE OTHER ORTHODOX PATRIARCHS AND HAD BEGUN TO BUILD BRIDGES. KASPER THOUGHT THAT AS FELLOW SLAVS, THE POPE AND ALEXIY WOULD HAVE A COMMON VOCABULARY FOR LAUNCHING AN HISTORIC RECONCILIATION. ALAS, IT NOW APPEARS THIS BRIDGE WOULD HAVE TO BE BUILT UNDER CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ7778 PAGE 01 VATICA 03527 02 OF 02 170550Z ACTION EUR-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 DS-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 LAB-01 VCE-00 NSAE-00 SSO-00 SS-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 SAS-00 /003W -------------- CC3A4B 170550Z /38 O 170552Z JUL 02 FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 VATICAN 003527 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI),DRL/IRF (FARR) EUR/RUS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/16/2012 TAGS: PREL PHUM KIRF PHUM KIRF VT RU VTPREL RU SUBJECT: VATICAN KEEPING "DOORS OPEN" TO RUSSIAN ORTHODOX DESPITE CONTINUED TENSIONS DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES. ¶6. (C) NOTWITHSTANDING CURRENT OBSTACLES, KASPER MADE CLEAR THAT THE CHURCH WOULD BE PATIENT AND "KEEP ITS DOORS OPEN TO THE ORTHODOX." KASPER NOTED (INNOCENTLY RATHER THAN IRONICALLY) THAT ALTHOUGH THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH WON'T TALK TO THE HOLY SEE, IT DOES HAVE FRUITFUL CONTACTS WITH CATHOLIC INDIVIDUALS AND AGENCIES -- ESPECIALLY THOSE, LIKE THE SEVERAL GERMAN CHURCH FUNDING AGENCIES, WHICH PROVIDE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 VATICA 03527 02 OF 02 170550Z MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR ROC OPERATIONS AND ASSISTANCE. HE ALSO NOTED THE CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX DIALOGUE WORKS WELL IN WESTERN COUNTRIES, WHICH KASPER ASCRIBED TO A MORE MODERN AND OPEN WORLDVIEW OF MOST CITIZENS IN THE WEST. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) KASPER'S ASSERTION THAT THE POPE HAD GIVEN UP ON VISITING MOSCOW WAS THE STRONGEST AFFIRMATION WE HAVE HAD FROM A SENIOR CURIAL OFFICIAL THAT THE POPE HAS ACCEPTED THE PROBABILITY THAT HE WILL NOT FULFILL HIS VISION OF OUTREACH TO THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH. HE CONVEYED A STRONG SENSE THAT HE AND THE POPE WERE TROUBLED BY THE HARDNESS OF RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ATTITUDES, AND THAT HE WAS UNCERTAIN HOW TO OVERCOME THEM. "IF PUTIN AND BUSH CAN COME TOGETHER," HE WONDERED, "WHY CAN'T THE PATRIARCH AND THE POPE?" KASPER AGREED THAT CHANGES WOULD PROBABLY COME ONLY WHEN RUSSIA WAS BETTER INTEGRATED WITH THE WEST AND HAD COME TO ACCEPT WESTERN NORMS ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION. ¶8. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: THE COUNCIL FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN UNITY ORIGINATED IN THE VATICAN II REFORMS AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROMOTING DIALOGUE AND MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING WITH OTHER CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS AS WELL AS WITH THE JEWISH FAITH. CONSERVATIVES WITHIN THE ROMAN CURIA BELIEVE THE IDEA OF DIALOGUE AS EQUALS WITH OTHER DENOMINATIONS VIOLATES CORE PRECEPTS OF CATHOLICISM, AND THUS THEY ARE EQUIVOCAL ABOUT THE COUNCIL'S WORK. KASPER IS AN IMPORTANT THINKER ON THE CHURCH'S ROLE IN THE WORLD, AND FREQUENTLY ADDRESSES THE NEED CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 VATICA 03527 02 OF 02 170550Z FOR BROADER DIALOGUE AMONG DIFFERENT FAITHS -- WHICH IS TECHNICALLY OUTSIDE OF HIS BRIEF. OUR SANT'EGIDIO FRIENDS, WHO HELP ORGANIZE THE POPE'S EPISODIC INTERFAITH DAYS OF PRAYER (MOST RECENTLY IN ASSISI IN JANUARY),TELL US THEY BELIEVE KASPER IS ONE OF THE FEW SENIOR CURIA OFFICIALS WHO "GET IT" ON INTERFAITH DIALOGUE AND THE NEED TO TALK TO EVEN THE MOST DIFFICULT INTERLOCUTORS IF THE CHURCH IS TO AVOID THE MUCH FEARED "CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS." END COMMENT. HARDT CONFIDENTIAL > 2002VATICA03527 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL