VATICAN COMMENTS ON IRF BEIJING VISIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 003575

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/WE (CEFKIN); DRL/IRF (FARR)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/19/2012
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KIRF CH VT
SUBJECT: VATICAN COMMENTS ON IRF BEIJING VISIT

REF: FARR/HARDT EMAIL OF 07/18/02

CLASSIFIED BY: CHARGE D. BRENT HARDT FOR REASONS E.O.12958 1.5 (B),(D)


1. (C) IN THE ABSENCE OF ARCHBISHOP CLAUDIO MARIA CELLI,
THE VATICAN'S MAIN CHINA HAND, POLOFFS ON 07/19 MET TO
DISCUSS REFEMAIL POINTS WITH VATICAN CHINA DESKOFF, MSGR.
GIANFRANCO ROTA-GRAZIOSI. ROTA-GRAZIOSI RECOMMENDED THREE
POSSIBLE APPROACHES FOR AMBASSADOR HANFORD TO PUT FORWARD TO
HELP UNBLOCK PRC/HOLY SEE DIALOGUE DURING HIS UPCOMING TRIP
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TO BEIJING. AVERRING THAT NOT MUCH WILL HAPPEN BEFORE THE
CCP PARTY CONFERENCE IN OCTOBER, ROTA-GRAZIOSI SEEMED
RESIGNED TO THE LIKELIHOOD THAT YEARS WOULD PASS BEFORE
PRC/HOLY SEE DIALOGUE WOULD BEAR FRUIT. HE HELD LITTLE HOPE
THAT BEIJING COULD BE PERSUADED OFFICIALLY TO REOPEN DIALOGUE
WITH THE HOLY SEE, MUCH LESS TO CONCLUDE A SINO-VATICAN
AGREEMENT BEFORE PRC PRESIDENT JIANG VISITS THE U.S. IN THE
FALL.


2. (C) ROTA-GRAZIOSI WAS CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC, HOWEVER, ON
THREE LIMITED STEPS THAT THE DRL/IRF DELEGATION MIGHT URGE
THE PRC TO TAKE DURING THE DRL/IRF LATE JULY VISIT TO
BEIJING. FOR EXAMPLE THE PRC MIGHT HOST AN OFFICIAL
DELEGATION FROM THE HOLY SEE. HE SAID THAT THE HOLY SEE HAS
PROPOSED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS TO THE PRC THAT AN ENVOY BE
ALLOWED TO MAKE AN OFFICIAL VISIT TO CHINA TO TRAVEL TO
VARIOUS DIOCESES AND HOLD MEETINGS WITH CLERGY FROM BOTH THE
OFFICIAL CHURCH AND THE UNDERGROUND CHURCH. IN THE PAST,
CARDINAL ETCHEGARRAY HAS VISITED, BUT ONLY AS A "PRIVATE
PERSON." HE MUSED THAT AN OFFICIAL HOLY SEE VISITOR COULD BE
QITHER CARDINAL OR BISHOP RANK, AND MIGHT EVEN CELEBRATE A
MASS AT A CHINESE OFFICIAL CATHEDRAL "AS A MARK OF
SOLIDARITY." ROTA-GRAZIOSI BELIEVED A LESS HIGH-PROFILE MOVE
MIGHT BE PRC SUPPORT FOR WHAT THE POPE HAS CALLED A "CULTURAL
DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE HOLY SEE AND CHINA," ROTA-GRAZIOSI SAID
THE HOLY SEE WOULD BE HAPPY TO COLLABORATE WITH BEIJING ON
SOMETHING LIKE AN ART SHOW OF VATICAN MUSEUM PIECES, OR, MORE
AMBITIOUSLY, A SYMPOSIUM TO DISCUSS VATICAN/CHINESE HISTORY.
HE DID UNDERSCORE THAT IN THE PAST THE PRC HAD REFUSED TO
ACCEPT EVEN A SINGLE WORK OF ART FROM THE VATICAN MUSEUM AS
PART OF ANOTHER ART SHOW. FINALLY, HE NOTED THAT IT WOULD
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CERTAINLY HELP FOR THE U.S. DELEGATION TO URGE THE PRC TO
REOPEN ITS DIALOGUE WITH THE HOLY SEE, WHICH COULD START EVEN
VIA INFORMAL INTERMEDIARIES SUCH AS THE U.S., ITALY, SPAIN,
GERMANY, OR OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES.


3. (C) COMMENT: ROTA-GRAZIOSI WAS SPEAKING FOR HIMSELF AND,
CHARACTERISTICALLY CAUTIOUS AS A VATICAN OFFICIAL, WAS
OBVIOUSLY NOT COMFORTABLE "BRAINSTORMING" FOR POLOFFS. IT
IS NOT CERTAIN THAT ARCHBISHOP CELLI WOULD ENDORSE ANY OR ALL
OF THESE IDEAS, SAVE THE LAST POINT. THE HOLY SEE HAS
CONSISTANTLY EXPRESSED ITS APPRECIATION TO US FOR THE WORK OF
DRL/IRF AND FOR THE PRESIDENT'S PERSONAL INTERVENTIONS ON
THIS ISSUE IN BEIJING.
HARDT

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2002VATICA03575 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL