Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03VATICAN4289
2003-09-22 12:17:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Vatican
Cable title:  

SANT EGIDIO CONFERENCE PROMOTES IRAQ, RELIGIOUS

Tags:  IZ PREL VT 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 004289 

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR EUR/WE LEVIN; NEA/RA; NEA/IPA; DRL/IRF; EUR/RUS;
AF/RSA; AF/W; OES/S/PDAS/IHA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2013
TAGS: IZ PREL VT
SUBJECT: SANT EGIDIO CONFERENCE PROMOTES IRAQ, RELIGIOUS
DIALOGUE, CATHOLIC-ORTHODOX RECONCILIATION, MIDDLE EAST
PEACE, AND HIV/AIDS TREATMENT

REF: A. VATICAN 3971

B. VATICAN 1508 (NOTAL)

C. VATICAN 1953 (NOTAL)

D. VATICAN 1137

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Brent Hardt for reasons 1.5 (b)
and (d)

-------
Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 004289

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR EUR/WE LEVIN; NEA/RA; NEA/IPA; DRL/IRF; EUR/RUS;
AF/RSA; AF/W; OES/S/PDAS/IHA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2013
TAGS: IZ PREL VT
SUBJECT: SANT EGIDIO CONFERENCE PROMOTES IRAQ, RELIGIOUS
DIALOGUE, CATHOLIC-ORTHODOX RECONCILIATION, MIDDLE EAST
PEACE, AND HIV/AIDS TREATMENT

REF: A. VATICAN 3971

B. VATICAN 1508 (NOTAL)

C. VATICAN 1953 (NOTAL)

D. VATICAN 1137

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Brent Hardt for reasons 1.5 (b)
and (d)

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (U) At Vatican-sanctioned NGO Sant'Egidio's annual
conference on peace and interreligious dialogue September 7-9
in Aachen, Germany, religious and civic leaders from around
the world discussed and debated global and regional issues in
which religious groups are involved and could be part of a
solution. In a spirited session on Iraq, an Iraqi Shiite
theologian praised the US-led coalition for its defeat of
Saddam and chided France and Germany for their pacifist
views, while a Catholic bishop from Baghdad condemned the
"dictatorship of chaos" he said had replaced Saddam's regime.
The highest level meeting in years between Catholic and
Russian Orthodox representatives generated modest hopes for a
thaw in relations between those two churches that could
contribute to European unity. A session on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict generated more heat than light,
though it offered an occasion for Israelis and Palestinians
to sit at the same dais. Sant'Egidio Community
representatives highlighted the growing success of the
community's AIDS treatment project in Africa. Sant'Egidio's
ability to create and cultivate contacts from varied groups
and bring friends and adversaries to the table to talk --
demonstrated throughout the conference -- makes it an
important USG partner in conflict resolution and in promoting
inter-religious understanding and tolerance. End summary.

--------------
Conference Draws Religious, Civic Leaders
--------------


2. (SBU) The lay Catholic Sant'Egidio Community, best known
for its role in brokering an end to the Mozambican civil war
in 1992, is now active in over 60 countries, conducting
widespread programs to aid the poor and elderly, combat
HIV/AIDS, and promote inter-religious dialogue and conflict
resolution. Since 1987, the Community has hosted yearly
conferences of religious and other leaders aimed at promoting

peace and interreligious dialogue in the spirit of Pope John
Paul II's 1986 World Day of Prayer and Peace in Assisi,
Italy. That event, which brought together world religious
leaders to promote the resolution of conflicts, was organized
in part by Sant'Egidio and represented a major step in
interreligious dialogue, as well as a bold departure for the
Pope, who was criticized at the time by many co-religionists
for appearing to promote religious syncretism. Since then,
Sant'Egidio has used the Pope's initiative as a mandate to
continue religious dialogue for peace.


3. (U) Among the 500 participants from some 70 countries at
this year's conference were Cardinal Roger Etchegary, the
Pope's "trouble-shooting" Cardinal who was sent to see Saddam
Hussein on the eve of the Iraq war, Russian Orthodox
Metropolitan Kyrill, Chief Rabbi of Israel Meir Lau, and
Turkish Minister of State Mehmet Aydin. In addition to key
themes of Iraq, Middle East, Christian-Orthodox relations,
and HIV/AIDS, the conference focused on the situation in Cote
d'Ivoire, Muslim-Christian relations, and developments in
Asia and Latin America. Prepared remarks for some sessions
can be found on the Sant'Egidio website, www.santegidio.org.

-------------- --------------
In Emotional Session on Iraq, Iraqi Shiite Praises Coalition
-------------- --------------


4. (U) Media and audience members jammed every nook of an
upstairs conference room for a session on "Iraq within War
and Peace." Iraqi Shiite Sayed Aiad Jamal Aldin shocked the
decidedly pacifist crowd by insisting that there were far
worse things than war -- like living under Saddam's brutal
dictatorship. He thanked the coalition for all it had done
for his people and had harsh words for "the Europeans,"
saying that if it had been up to them, the Iraqis would still
be suffering under the previous regime. It was easy for

France and Germany "to talk about peace," he said, but they
didn't have to live under Saddam. Aldin said the US was in
Iraq with the support of the Iraqi people and any resistance
was not reflective of the will of the Iraqis. Jamal Aldin
noted the need to make Iraqi borders more secure, saying that
Iraqis were paying the price as "foreigners" were crossing
the border in large numbers to destabilize the country. When
asked about the current situation in Iraq, Jamal Aldin
insisted that much of the damage one sees today had been
inflicted on the country before the war under Saddam. He
encouraged greater international cooperation in Iraq, and
said Germany and France should help with reconstruction but
"should not interfere with the government."


--------------
Chaldean Bishop Laments Iraq Chaos
--------------


5. (SBU) Shlemon Warduni, a Chaldean Catholic Bishop in
Baghdad, had a less sanguine view of the situation.
Describing in emotional detail the devastation and loss of
life that occurred during the war, he charged that Saddam's
dictatorship had merely given way to a "dictatorship of
chaos." Warduni detailed a lack of medical care in Iraq,
security concerns, and, above all, what he described as a
deep fear on the part of the people. "We cry, but no one
hears us," the bishop said, adding that he was thankful to be
in Aachen for a few days, if only to enjoy some respite from
violence and to be able to fall asleep "without hearing
gunfire." Warduni's comments were not a surprise to those
aware of the Chaldean Church's pre-war criticism of U.S.
policies and its close relationship with the previous regime.
But his message struck a chord with the audience, who gave
the bishop a warm ovation after his presentation.

--------------
A Chance for Dialogue
--------------


6. (SBU) Though Jamal Aldin's and Warduni's words appeared to
offer little common ground, Iraqi Sunnite leader Ahmed M.
Mohammed, offered an opening for dialogue. He emphasized a
general desire for coexistence and discussion, and noted the
need for mutual trust between people of different faiths.
Mohammed seemed anxious to turn the page on the war and on
the years of dictatorship, and to focus on the necessity of
many peoples "living together in Iraq." The session
highlighted the range of perspectives existing among Iraqis
about the war and its aftermath. Symbolically, at least, the
conference brought these perspectives together when the two
Muslims joined with Catholic Bishop Warduni to light the
"peace candle" at the conference's closing ceremonies,
creating a powerful image of reconciliation.

--------------
Treating HIV/AIDS in Africa
--------------


7. (U) In a session on Africa, AF PDAS Charles Snyder
outlined the scope and implications of the HIV/AIDS crisis,
emphasizing the links between the HIV/AIDS epidemic and
security, democracy, and poverty. Snyder also noted that
HIV/AIDS could exacerbate societal ills such as prostitution,
child trafficking and other scourges as more and more
children are raised without parents. Armed conflict, he
pointed out, also fuels the epidemic by contributing to the
sexual abuse of women, destruction of a country's health
infrastructure, and the exhaustion of funds that could
otherwise be spent on health care. Snyder noted the USG's
role as a leading contributor in the fight against AIDS,
highlighting the President's new HIV/AIDS initiative, our
contributions to the Global Fund, and a series of bilateral
initiatives and assistance to affected countries encompassing
education, prevention, and treatment.

--------------
DREAM HIV/AIDS Treatment Program
--------------


8. (U) Sant'Egidio's leaders emphasized that its own HIV/AIDS
program (DREAM - Drug Resource Enhancement against AIDS in
Mozambique),demonstrated that, contrary to the naysayers, it
is possible to treat AIDS in Africa, rather than rely solely

on prevention programs (ref a,b,c). Relying on prevention,
according to St. Egidio's Germano, "is effectively a death
sentence" for those already infected. Instead, Sant'Egidio
combines prevention initiatives with DREAM's free
anti-retroviral program, currently treating some 2000
patients. "Why shouldn't Africans have access to the same
quality AIDS treatment programs one finds in Western Europe,"
Germano asked. She said that Mozambicans had proven false
assertions that Africans wouldn't have the tenacity,
understanding or sense of time to effectively follow an
anti-retroviral regimen. The next step, Germano said, was to
expand the program to other countries, something Sant'Egidio
has already begun in Angola, Guinea-Bissau, and Tanzania, and
intends to explore with State and HHS officials and at
Georgetown University.

--------------
Thawing Russian Orthodox-Catholic Relations
--------------


9. (C) One of the most significant developments at the
conference came on the margins with a two-hour breakfast
meeting between Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Holy See's top
man for ecumenical dialogue, and Russian Orthodox
Metropolitan Kyrill, number two in the Russian Orthodox
Church behind ailing Patriarch Alexi. The one-on-one session
away from the public eye -- the highest level contact between
the Holy See and the Orthodox Church -- appears to have eased
previous personal tensions between the two leaders. Their
public dialogue, however, traded traditional complaints, with
Kyril accusing the Holy See of proselytizing while Kasper
insisted that there was no "Vatican-sponsored movement"
responsible for any post-communist draining of adherents from
the Orthodox Churches. Both Kasper and Kyrill nevertheless
made some positive public comments on relations and indicated
that over the long term they expected relations to improve
(ref d).


10. (C) Improvements in Orthodox-Catholic relations have
broad implications, not just for Christian ecumenism, but for
East-West relations in Europe. Reconciliation between the
Catholic and Orthodox Churches would give added meaning and
potential political significance to the Pope's continued
emphasis in recent months on the common Christian roots of
Europe. Closer ties between the Russian Orthodox church and
the West would also have implications for relations between
Christianity and the Muslim world.

--------------
Israel-Palestinian Dialogue
--------------


11. (U) Oded Ben-Hur, the Ambassador of Israel to the Holy
See, Fr. Elias Chacour, Director of the Prophet Elias
College, Israel, and David Rosen, President of the American
Jewish Committee, provided constructive give-and-take on the
common desire for peace in a session on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Chacour, a Catholic priest
active in regional inter-faith programs, criticized Israeli
strategy in the conflict and the support of the religious
right in the U.S., whose single-minded support of Israel, he
claimed, was helping no one in the region. Unfortunately,
some in the audience soured the atmosphere of the session by
interrupting speakers and making provocative remarks.

--------------
Comment: Sant Egidio a Valuable Partner
--------------


12. (C) Sant'Egidio has proven a valuable partner for the
U.S. on a range of issues, encompassing conflict resolution
in Mozambique, Liberia, Sudan, and the Great Lakes, to its
current effort to treat AIDS in Africa. The group's focus,
however, is not limited to Africa, as the Aachen conference
demonstrated. Sant'Egidio's is effective in creating and
cultivating high-level contacts from diverse and often
antagonistic groups and then promoting political and
religious dialogue. When it comes to conflict resolution,
Sant' Egidio benefits from being able to engage rebel groups
that governments need to approach with more caution. It
works adeptly with those from different ethnic groups and
religions and seems to gain their trust rapidly. "They know
we have only one interest - peace," says Sant'Egidio Director
of International Cooperation Claudio Betti. Of course, the

group's informal approach and strategies may sometimes need
supervision. AF PDAS Snyder notes that during the Liberia
negotiations the USG had to contact Sant'Egidio once or twice
to better coordinate their efforts with U.S. engagement.
Likewise, in regard to Uganda, Snyder said, AF needed to look
more closely at whom Sant' Egidio was talking to on the rebel
side to see if such engagement would be helpful. With proper
cooperation and communication, which Sant'Egidio welcomes and
has pursued in recent meetings in the Department, we believe
expanded linkages with the Sant'Egidio community can benefit
U.S. efforts to resolve conflicts, combat HIV/AIDS, and
promote religious tolerance. We note that on the heels of
the Aachen conference, Sant'Egidio's Claudio Betti traveled
to the U.S. September 16-19 (ref a) to review with State,
HHS, and AID officials prospects for funding for the DREAM
program, and its expansion, while also engaging various
Department offices to discuss human rights, religious
freedom, and Sant'Egidio's potential role in key conflict
areas.


13. (U) Minimize considered.

NICHOLSON


NNNN


2003VATICA04289 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL