HOLY SEE CAUTIOUS ON CUBAN DISSIDENTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 005471 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI) E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2012 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM CU PGOV PHUM CU VT VTPREL SUBJECT: HOLY SEE CAUTIOUS ON CUBAN DISSIDENTS REF: A. A) HAVANA 6982 ¶B. B) HAVANA 7233 C) HAVANA 7566 D) MILAN 692 CLASSIFIED BY: D. BRENT HARDT, CDA, REASON E.O. 12958 1.5 (B,D) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) HOLY SEE DIRECTOR OF CARIBBEAN AFFAIRS PAINTED A CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 VATICA 05471 01 OF 02 080949Z PICTURE OF A DEFENSIVE CUBAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN A NOVEMBER 6 MEETING WITH POLOFFS TO DISCUSS CUBA AND VENEZUELA (VENEZUELA REPORTED SEPTEL). MSGR. GIORGIO LINGUA SAID THE HOLY SEE AND CUBAN CHURCH HAVE DECIDED NOT TO ENGAGE IN OVERTLY POLITICAL SUPPORT OF DEMOCRATIC DISSIDENTS IN CUBA IN ORDER TO AVOID A CRACKDOWN ON THE CHURCH BY THE GOC. HE NOTED THAT THE ONE CHURCH-RELATED PUBLICATION THAT ENGAGES IN POLITICAL COMMENTARY, "VITRAL," HAS CAUSED THE HOLY SEE SOME DIFFICULTY WITH CUBAN AUTHORITIES, ADDING THAT THE HOLY SEE HAD ENCOURAGED THE BISHOP RESPONSIBLE FOR IT TO RESPOND POSITIVELY TO CUBAN AUTHORITIES' DEMAND THAT IT BE REGISTERED DESPITE THE BISHOP'S FEARS OF CENSORSHIP. END SUMMARY. -------------- A CHURCH PLAYING DEFENSE -------------- ¶2. (C) FOLLOWING UP ON RECENT USINT REPORTING ON CATHOLIC CHURCH ACTIVITIES IN CUBA (REFTELS),POLOFFS CALLED ON VATICAN COUNTRY DIRECTOR FOR THE CARIBBEAN STATES, MSGR. GIORGIO LINGUA, NOVEMBER 6 TO DISCUSS THE HOLY SEE'S VIEWS OF THE STATE OF THE CHURCH AND DEMOCRATIC DISSIDENCE IN CUBA. WE ASKED WHETHER THE PAPAL NUNCIO HAS DEVELOPED AND MAINTAINS CONTACTS WITH THE DISSIDENT COMMUNITY AND WHETHER THE HOLY SEE WOULD TAKE A POSITION ON A CUBAN HUMAN RIGHTS RESOLUTION. LINGUA RESPONDED THAT HE WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY INTENTION OF THE HOLY SEE TO ENGAGE ON THE HR RESOLUTION, EVEN BEHIND THE SCENES. FURTHERMORE, HE SAID THE HOLY SEE SUPPORTS THE CUBAN CHURCH'S CAUTIOUS APPROACH TO POLITICAL ACTIVITIES, AND WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY PLANNED OUTREACH TO CUBA'S DISSIDENT COMMUNITY BY THE NUNCIO. HE INDICATED THAT THE CHURCH (AND CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 VATICA 05471 01 OF 02 080949Z THE HOLY SEE) PHILOSOPHICALLY SUPPORTED GREATER POLITICAL FREEDOMS IN CUBA. HOWEVER, HE PAINTED A PICTURE OF A CHURCH IN A FUNDAMENTALLY DEFENSIVE POSTURE. ITS OVERRIDING CONCERN WAS TO MAINTAIN THE ABILITY OF THE FAITHFUL TO PRACTICE THEIR FAITH AND TO AVOID A CRACKDOWN BY THE GOC ON THE CHURCH'S OWN LIMITED FREEDOM. ¶3. (C) AS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS CAUTION, LINGUA POINTED TO THE FACT THAT ALMOST ALL CHURCH PUBLICATIONS IN CUBA AVOID EXPLICITLY POLITICAL COMMENTARY. HE SAID THE ONLY EXCEPTION IS THE PUBLICATION OF THE PINAR DEL RIO DIOCESE'S NEWSLETTER "VITRAL," WHOSE EDITOR, DAGOBERTO VALDEZ, WAS A RELATIVELY OUTSPOKEN CRITIC OF THE GOC. LINGUA TOLD US THAT THE HOLY SEE HAD RECEIVED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT VITRAL FROM THE CUBAN EMBASSY TO THE HOLY SEE. IN RESPONSE, THE HOLY SEE HAS ALWAYS UNDERSCORED THE PAPER'S RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. ON THE OTHER HAND, HE SAID THE HOLY SEE HAD URGED THE BISHOP OF PINAR DEL RIO TO "REGISTER" THE PAPER WITH CUBAN AUTHORITIES AS THE LATTER HAVE BEEN DEMANDING. THE HOLY SEE THOUGHT IT NORMAL FOR REVENUE GENERATING ACTIVITIES SUCH AS VITRAL TO HAVE TO REGISTER WITH CIVIL AUTHORITIES. BUT, ACCORDING TO LINGUA, THE BISHOP FEARED CENSORSHIP AND HAD SO FAR REFUSED TO REGISTER THE PAPER. ¶4. (C) QUERIED AS TO WHY THE CHURCH IN CUBA, AN HISTORICALLY CATHOLIC COUNTRY, WASN'T AS ACTIVE IN THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM AS HAD BEEN THE POLISH CHURCH, LINGUA NOTED THAT THE CHURCH HAD ALWAYS CHARTED A CAUTIOUS COURSE IN CUBA, YET IT WAS NEVER SUPPRESSED IN THE SAME MANNER AS HAD BEEN THE CASE IN MANY COUNTRIES OF EASTERN EUROPE. CATHOLIC CLERGY, EVEN BISHOPS, WERE ALL CUBANS, NOT FOREIGN, AND HAD RETAINED CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 VATICA 05471 01 OF 02 080949Z THE RIGHT TO PRACTICE AND PROMOTE THEIR FAITH. THEY HAD NOT BEEN THROWN INTO A GULAG, AS HAD BEEN THE CASE IN EASTERN EUROPE, AND THUS DID NOT FEEL AS THREATENED BY "OLD FASHIONED SOCIALISM" AS THEIR EASTERN EUROPEAN BRETHREN. NEVERTHELESS, LINGUA RECOGNIZED THAT THE CHURCH WAS CONSTRAINED, AS IT NEITHER HOSTED POLITICAL EVENTS NOR PROVIDED RESOURCES FOR POLITICAL ACTIVITIES (SUCH AS PROVIDING MEETING SPACES) IN ORDER TO AVOID PROVOKING THE GOC. -------------- SEEKING SPACE AMIDST CONSTRAINTS -------------- ¶5. (C) IN REVIEWING CURRENT RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED ON THE CHURCH, LINGUA ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE CHURCH'S SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS (SUCH AS EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE) HAD BEEN TAKEN OVER BY THE STATE AFTER THE REVOLUTION, AND THAT MANY CHURCH PROPERTIES HAD BEEN CONFISCATED. IN ADDITION, HE CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ9473 PAGE 01 VATICA 05471 02 OF 02 080950Z ACTION EUR-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AMAD-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 DODE-00 WHA-00 DS-00 EAP-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 LAB-01 VCE-00 NSAE-00 OIC-02 EPAE-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /005W -------------- 0560F0 080950Z /38 P 080839Z NOV 02 FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY INFO AMEMBASSY ROME AMCONSUL MILAN USINT HAVANA USMISSION GENEVA C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 VATICAN 005471 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI) E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2012 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM CU PGOV PHUM CU VT VTPREL SUBJECT: HOLY SEE CAUTIOUS ON CUBAN DISSIDENTS NOTED THAT THE GOC CLOSELY SCRUTINIZES THE VISA APPLICATIONS AND ACTIVITIES IN CUBA OF NON-CUBAN RELIGIOUS WORKERS -- PARTICULARLY THOSE ENGAGED IN EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. ASKED WHETHER THE HOLY SEE HAD DISCUSSED ANY CONCERNS WITH THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT ABOUT THE LOMBARDY REGIONAL GOVERNMENT'S AGREEMENT TO REFURBISH A FORMER CHURCH PROPERTY (REF D), LINGUA APPEARED UNAWARE OF THE DECISION AND WAS NON-COMMITTAL. -------------- NO PLANS FOR TRANSITION CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 VATICA 05471 02 OF 02 080950Z -------------- ¶6. (C) POLOFFS PRESSED LINGUA WHETHER THE HOLY SEE HAD GIVEN ANY THOUGHT TO PREPARING FOR AN EVENTUAL DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION IN CUBA, AND HE OFFERED HIS VIEW THAT SUCH A TRANSITION, WHILE INEVITABLE, COULD BE MANY YEARS AWAY, EVEN YEARS AFTER FIDEL CASTRO LEAVES THE SCENE. HE NOTED THAT MANY OF HIS CUBAN INTERLOCUTORS WERE REVOLUTIONARY "TRUE BELIEVERS." -------------- ENDING EMBARGO WOULD STIMULATE REFORM -------------- ¶7. (C) TURNING TO THE EMBARGO, LINGUA MAINTAINED THAT EVEN THOUGH THE EMBARGO WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CUBA'S DIRE ECONOMIC STRAITS, WERE IT TO BE LIFTED THE GOC WOULD HAVE NO MORE EXCUSES FOR ITS POOR PERFORMANCE; ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL REFORMS WOULD NECESSARILY FOLLOW. REFLECTING VIEWS WE HAVE HEARD AT CARITAS, LINGUA BELIEVED PHASING OUT THE EMBARGO WOULD BE "JUST" AS WELL AS "SMART," AS A REFORM PROCESS WOULD HELP AVOID A SUDDEN POLARIZATION OF CUBAN SOCIETY THAT COULD LEAD TO VIOLENCE DURING A POST-CASTRO TRANSITION. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) THE HOLY SEE'S CONTINUED CAUTION ON ITS APPROACH TO CUBA AND ITS UNWILLINGNESS TO CONSIDER PLANNING FOR A POST-REVOLUTIONARY CUBA ARE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 VATICA 05471 02 OF 02 080950Z TRADITIONALLY CAUTIOUS VATICAN DIPLOMATIC CORPS. IT ALSO REFLECTS A GROWING RESIGNATION THAT THE POPE'S HISTORIC 1998 HISTORIC VISIT TO CUBA HAS CHANGED LITTLE. IN THE PAST WE HAVE HEARD DISAPPOINTMENT FROM THE VATICAN AT LACK OF PROGRESS IN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AFTER THE POPE'S HISTORIC 1998 VISIT TO CUBA, WHEREAS NOW, THEY APPEAR WILLING TO TAKE HALF-A-LOAF AND WAIT FOR POLITICAL CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE BEFORE PRESSING HARD FOR GREATER FREEDOMS. AS A RESULT, WE EXPECT THE HOLY SEE (IF NOT ALL OF ITS BISHOPS) WILL REMAIN DISCRETE IN DEALINGS WITH CUBA'S DISSIDENT COMMUNITY, WHILE PATIENTLY SEEKING TO MAINTAIN AND EXPAND SPACE FOR RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES. WE WILL CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE THE HOLY SEE TO ENGAGE MORE DIRECTLY WITH DISSIDENTS AND RAISE ITS VOICE AS THE POPE DID IN 1998 FOR BROADER HUMAN RIGHTS IN CUBA. HARDT CONFIDENTIAL > 2002VATICA05471 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL