POPE DECRIES EXECUTIONS AND ASKS CASTRO FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 001775 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/WE MENNUTI, WHA/CCA, AND DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2013 TAGS: PHUM PREL CU VT SUBJECT: POPE DECRIES EXECUTIONS AND ASKS CASTRO FOR CLEMENCY FOR DISSIDENTS REF: A. A) VATICAN 1406 ¶B. B) VATICAN 1401 ¶C. C) VATICAN 1137 CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR JIM NICHOLSON. REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (U) SEE ACTION REQUEST PARA. 5. ¶2. (U) IN A DEPARTURE FROM THE HOLY SEE'S NORMALLY CAUTIOUS APPROACH TO CUBA, POPE JOHN PAUL II HAS PUBLICLY DECRIED THE EXECUTION OF THREE HIJACKERS AS WELL AS THE HARSH SENTENCES RECENTLY HANDED DOWN AGAINST CUBAN DISSIDENTS. THE POPE'S APRIL 13 APPEAL, WRITTEN ON HIS BEHALF BY SECRETARY OF STATE CARDINAL ANGELO SODANO, WAS RELEASED BY THE VATICAN APRIL 26 FOLLOWING CASTRO'S APPARENT FAILURE TO RESPOND. THE LETTER CONVEYED THE POPE'S "DEEP PAIN" OVER THE RECENT EXECUTIONS AND HEAVY SENTENCES GIVEN TO DISSIDENTS. IN THE LETTER, THE POPE CALLED ON CASTRO TO MAKE A "SIGNIFICANT GESTURE OF CLEMENCY," ADDING THAT SUCH A GESTURE WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO GREATER HARMONY AMONG THE CUBAN PEOPLE. THE POPE CONCLUDED BY SUGGESTING HE WAS SURE THAT CASTRO SHARED THE CONVICTION THAT ONLY SINCERE AND CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE BETWEEN CITIZENS AND CIVIL AUTHORITIES CAN GUARANTEE THE ADVANCEMENT OF A MODERN AND DEMOCRATIC STATE, IN A MORE UNITED AND FRATERNAL CUBA. ¶3. (C) EMBASSY CONTACTED HOLY SEE OFFICIALS APRIL 28 TO EXPLORE THE BACKGROUND BEHIND THE VATICAN'S RELEASE OF THE LETTER AND ITS UNUSUAL DIRECT APPEAL TO CASTRO. COUNTRY DIRECTOR FOR CUBA, MONSIGNOR GIORGIO LINGUA TOLD POLOFF THAT THE POPE HAD DECIDED TO SEND THE LETTER (DELIVERED TO CUBA'S AMBASSADOR TO THE HOLY SEE) AFTER THE HOLY SEE'S "QUIET DIPLOMACY BEHIND THE SCENES" HAD FAILED TO EVOKE ANY RESPONSE FROM CUBA. LINGUA UNDERSCORED THAT THE LETTER WAS MEANT TO PROTEST BOTH THE EXECUTIONS AND THE HARSH SENTENCES RECENTLY IMPOSED ON THE SEVENTY-PLUS CUBAN DISSIDENTS. HE WOULD NOT CHARACTERIZE THE STRONGLY WORDED LETTER AS A NEW DIRECTION IN THE HOLY SEE'S CUBA APPROACH, BUT RATHER HE SAID IT WAS NATURAL TO "STEP UP THE VOLUME" AFTER THE CASTRO REGIME'S SUDDEN RATCHETING UP OF REPRESSION AGAINST POLITICAL DISSIDENTS, MANY OF WHOM ARE PRACTICING CATHOLICS. ¶4. (C) DCM ALSO QUERIED VATICAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER PIETRO PAROLIN AS TO WHAT HAD PROMPTED THE PAPAL APPEAL. PAROLIN SAID THE DECISIONS TO APPROACH CASTRO DIRECTLY AND TO RELEASE THE LETTER WERE TAKEN AT THE REQUEST OF THE CUBAN BISHOPS, WHO HAD CONVEYED TO THE HOLY SEE THAT A PAPAL INTERVENTION WOULD BE TIMELY AND HELPFUL IN THE FACE OF THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT ACTIONS. DCM WELCOMED THE HOLY SEE'S ENGAGEMENT AND ENCOURAGED CONTINUED EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF THE DISSIDENTS. ¶5. (C) COMMENT AND ACTION REQUEST: EVEN THOUGH THE HOLY SEE IS RELUCTANT TO CHARACTERIZE THE PAPAL LETTER AND PUBLIC RELEASE AS A NEW APPROACH IN ITS RELATIONS WITH CUBA, THE ACTIONS DO REPRESENT A DEPARTURE FROM THE CAUTIOUS APPROACH OUTLINED TO US ONLY A MONTH AGO WHEN LINGUA SPOKE OF THE HOLY SEE'S NEED TO PROTECT THE "VULNERABLE" CHURCH PRESENCE IN CUBA (REF A). THERE IS ALSO LITTLE DOUBT THAT DIRECT APPEALS TO THE POPE FROM THE SPOUSES OF DETAINED DISSIDENTS, COMBINED WITH QUESTIONING LAST WEEK IN THE ITALIAN PRESS ABOUT THE HOLY SEE'S SILENCE IN THE FACE OF THE CUBAN REPRESSION HELPED EVOKE THE LETTER'S RELEASE. ALTHOUGH THE VATICAN'S NATURAL PREDILECTION IS ALWAYS TO WORK BEHIND THE SCENES, THE SUCCESS OF THE POPE'S JANUARY BROADSIDE AGAINST RUSSIAN RESTRICTIONS ON CATHOLIC PRIESTS (REF C) HAS PERHAPS GIVEN ADDED SUSTENANCE TO THE VATICAN'S REGARD FOR THE POTENTIAL OF STRONG, PUBLIC ACTIONS IN THE FACE OF INJUSTICE. WE WILL CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE THE HOLY SEE'S ENGAGEMENT TO EFFECT THE RELEASE OF THE DISSIDENTS, AND WOULD WELCOME ANY ADDITIONAL POINTS THAT MIGHT BE OF USE TO SHARE WITH THE VATICAN. NICHOLSON NNN