Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04VATICAN252
2004-01-23 16:33:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Vatican
Cable title:  

The Pope's Europe: Whole, Free and Faithful

Tags:  PREL PHUM EU VT 
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UNCLAS VATICAN 000252 

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE

DEPT. FOR EUR/WE JLEVIN; DRL/IRF MAYLAND; EUR/ERA

E.O. 12958 N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM EU VT
SUBJECT: The Pope's Europe: Whole, Free and Faithful

-------
Summary
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UNCLAS VATICAN 000252

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE

DEPT. FOR EUR/WE JLEVIN; DRL/IRF MAYLAND; EUR/ERA

E.O. 12958 N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM EU VT
SUBJECT: The Pope's Europe: Whole, Free and Faithful

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


1. (U) From the start of his Pontificate, Pope John Paul II
has had a clear vision of Europe as a continent united,
free, and faithful. As an inspirational symbol for the
Polish nation and a formidable voice for freedom, the Pope
played an essential role in overcoming Europe's political
divisions and restoring freedom to the East. Today, as
NATO and the EU move ahead to deepen European unity and
entrench democracy, the Pope has increasingly turned his
attention to Europe's faith -- or, more accurately, its
lack thereof. In his view, Europe must play a leading role
as a force for peace in the world, but will not be able to
o
fulfill this role unless it returns to its spiritual roots.
His desire to complete his vision of a Europe whole, free,
and faithful is so strong that he has devoted an
increasingly large share of his limited energy to achieve
recognition of Europe's Christian roots in the EU
Constitution and to build bridges with Europe's Orthodox
East. His efforts to reinforce European unity and
strengthen its respect for core values of freedom and human
rights continue to make this pope an important ally for the
U.S. in our efforts to work with Europe to promote human
dignity worldwide. End Summary.

-------------- ---
Freedom and Faith from the Atlantic to the Urals
-------------- ---


2. (SBU) Ever since the pope from the East took up the
papacy, John Paul II has been driven by a fervent belief in
a united Europe founded on Christian values stretching from
the Atlantic to the Urals. In the Pope's words, he wanted
a Europe breathing with two lungs -- Western and Eastern,
Roman and Orthodox, as distinct expressions of the same
culture. This vision has animated the Vatican's diplomatic
efforts in Europe. In the early years of his pontificate,
John Paul II's European engagement focused on overcoming
the division created by communism, while his post-Communist
focus has been on building a united Europe rooted in
Christian values that can be a force for good worldwide in
promoting the primacy of human dignity and rights.


3. (U) John Paul II saw in his election to the papacy a
divine mandate to take up the defense of the oppressed in
his native Poland and elsewhere in Eastern Europe. From

the outset, his efforts against communism were less the
work of a statesman or a diplomat, though he unhesitatingly
delivered his message of freedom to Poland's Communist
leaders. Instead, his efforts were those of an
inspirational pastor who provided his fellow Poles and
others trapped behind the Iron Curtain tools of resistance
that the morally bankrupt Communists could not match. A
Polish pope with a remarkable flair for public relations,
insisting day after day after day on the fundamental
inhumanity of Communism and embodying in his very person
the failure of Marxism-Leninism to defeat or tame
Catholicism in East Central Europe, proved to be a powerful
symbol of freedom.


4. (U) But where the Pope succeeded in providing a rallying
point and unifying symbol for the oppressed in the East to
reassert their dignity, he has been less successful in his
post-Communist era efforts to revitalize the faith in
secularized Western Europe. It is also unclear whether his
efforts in the more religious East will halt the region's
own slow slide towards secularism. As the Pope observed in
his recent Apostolic exhortation, "Ecclesia in Europe,"
Europeans increasingly exhibit a "practical agnosticism and
religious indifference," which have created an impression
of living without spiritual roots. In fact, the Pope sees
Europe to be "tragically suffering for a profound crisis of
values that has led to a crisis of identity."

--------------
Moral Vision for a United Europe
--------------


5. (U) Rather than accepting this secular turn as
inevitable, the Pope has instead been emboldened to press
even harder for his fellow Europeans to use their newfound
unity for good both within Europe and in the wider world.
In his view, Christianity was the historical source of
European unity -- the only force that united the diverse
cultures, peoples, and languages into a coherent culture.
He believes it remains central as the inspiration and
foundation for essential European values: the dignity of
the human person, respect for life and for the family,

freedom of conscience and religion, the promotion of
authentic social solidarity and the primacy of the rule of
law. The fact that modern Europe has given the world the
concepts of democracy and human rights stems, the Pope
insists, from its Christian heritage. He has therefore
been urging modern Europe to reclaim fundamental Christian-
inspired values, which can be summarized in the affirmation
of the transcendent dignity of the human person, the value
of reason, freedom, democracy, the constitutional state and
the distinction between political life and religious life.

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Christian Roots and the EU Constitution
--------------


6. (U) One focus of the Holy See's effort to reaffirm its
Christian values has been its full-court press over the
past year to secure some form of reference to Europe's
Christian heritage in the new EU constitution. The Pope's
determination on this issue was reflected in his almost
weekly calls this past summer in public addresses for
Europe not to neglect its Christian past. The Vatican's
daily newspaper highlighted the Pope's sentiments with
banner headlines asserting that "Europe is either Christian
or it's not Europe." The Vatican believed that its close
relationship with Italy and Italy's stewardship of the
constitutional debate during its recent presidency offered
perhaps the best chance for inserting the reference to
Europe's Christian heritage in the Constitution. Despite
Italy's best efforts, and the strong support of Poland and
Spain, the Vatican was unable to overcome the secularist
opposition from France in particular in the latest
constitutional draft.


7. The Holy See's persistence in seeking this reference to
Christian roots against strong opposition within some EU
countries appeared to many -- even some within the Curia --
to exceed its potential relevance for Christianity's future
in Europe. More important than a preambular reference to
Christian roots, many argued, was language guaranteeing
freedom of religion and ensuring that religious rights and
privileges are enshrined in the new constitution.
Specifically, the Holy See wants to ensure the right of
Churches and religious communities to organize themselves
freely, respect for the specific identity of religious
confessions, provision for a structured dialogue between
the EU and these confessions, and respect for the juridical
status already enjoyed by Churches and religious
institutions in various EU member states. All of these
appear to be well on track.


8. (U) In pushing for a "Christian heritage" reference and
other provisions relating to religion, the Holy See's
principal goal appears to be to build a foundation from
which to counter increasingly dominant secularist
tendencies within Europe and to reinvigorate the role of
religion in European culture. In this effort, it has
considerable support from other religious groups. In fact,
although the Holy See has recently been at the forefront of
calls for the recognition of Christianity in a European
Constitution, the idea initially emerged from a meeting of
the Council of European Churches (CEC) -- a Protestant
group. Only later did the Holy See and the Greek Orthodox
join their voices to it as a means of enhancing the
importance of religion in European society.

--------------
Overcoming Religious Divisions
--------------


9. (U) The Holy See's push for an acknowledgment of
Christianity's role in the development of European culture
should in no way be seen as inimical to healthy coexistence
with other faiths within a multi-cultural, multi-religious
Europe. This would run counter to the Vatican's extensive
work in interreligious dialogue under John Paul II, and its
interest in religious liberty all over the globe. Although
dear to the Vatican's vision for Europe, the constitutional
push is but one element of a Vatican approach to Europe
that also seeks to repair the Catholic-Orthodox breach and
improve relations with other religious groups in Europe --
including Jews, Muslims, Anglicans, and other protestant
groups.


10. (U) The Pope's openings towards the Orthodox Church in
Romania, Greece, Hungary and Bulgaria have produced a
climate of dialogue and respect that has replaced a history
of spiteful accusations and mutual fear based on ignorance.
To achieve this progress, the Pope has at times literally
begged the Orthodox for forgiveness for historical sins and
traveled thousands of miles to prove firsthand to the

Orthodox leadership that Rome seeks partnership, and not
proselytism. The Pope's visit to the Patriarch of
Constantinople in 1979, just 13 months after assuming the
papacy, set the tone for his outreach to the Orthodox and
established a strong Eastern orientation to the Holy See's
ecumenism. The Pope has been less successful repairing the
breach with the Russian Orthodox Church, though more out of
the ROC's deeply rooted insecurities than a lack of
interest or effort on the part of the Holy See.


11. (U) The Holy See's close dialogue with the Anglican
Communion was recently complicated by the ordination of an
active homosexual bishop in the United States, but both
parties are seeking a way around this new "obstacle to
unity." While formal dialogue talks scheduled for February
were put on hold, the Vatican and the Anglican Communion
did agree to establish a sub-commission to reflect on the
ecclesiological issues raised by the ordination of the gay
bishop. Similar problems had arisen when the Anglican
Church began ordaining female priests and bishops, but the
desire for unity will continue to drive the Holy See to
seek solutions to these obstacles. Talks with the Lutheran
World Federation are also ongoing and have resulted in
several joint statements on theological issues. While the
complete resolution of doctrinal differences with both
churches is a long way off, the Holy See works with both
Anglican and Lutheran churches to enhance the
religious voice in Europe on issues such as the inclusion
of a reference to Europe's Christian heritage in the new
European Constitution. Though these relationships do not
have the potential geopolitical impact that Catholic
relations with the Orthodox, Jewish, or Muslim worlds have,
in both these cases, patching theological rifts could also
lead to cooperation between churches that could impact
questions of war and peace, international aid funding, and
other issues relating to development, poverty, and the
family.


12. (U) In its broadest strokes, the Pope's vision of a
religiously united Eastern and Western Europe -- a Europe
"breathing with two lungs" that would in time overcome a
thousand years of separation -- reinforces other ongoing
efforts to overcome Europe's division, such as NATO and EU
enlargement. While religious unity is still a distant
dream, both between West and East and among Western groups,
the growing cooperation between the Holy See and Eastern
Orthodoxy, combined with growing political and economic
unity between East and West, can open the door to the rise
of a unity not seen since the days of the Byzantine Empire.

--------------
Dialogue with Jewish and Muslim Communities
--------------


13. (U) Beyond his push for Christian unity in Europe, the
Pope is also determined to expand the Holy See's dialogue
to Europe's other major religious communities -- Judaism
and Islam. During his Pontificate, John Paul II has made
great strides to improve relations with European Judaism,
clearing the debris of centuries of misunderstanding and
mistrust. His historic 1986 visit to Rome's synagogue --
the first visit of a Pope to a temple since the earliest
days of the Church -- has helped generate an ever-deeper
dialogue with European Jewish communities. The Pope's
recent 'apostolic exhortation' on Europe emphasizes the
common roots linking Christians and Jews, acknowledges and
expresses regret for the Church's past contribution to
anti-Semitism in Europe, and encourages dialogue and
cooperation with Jewish faithful. The Holy See has
condemned signs of renewed anti-Semitism within Europe, and
can be counted on to work with the U.S. to counter such
developments in the OSCE and in other fora.


14. (U) The growing influence of European Islam has led the
Vatican to seek to expand its dialogue with Muslims in
Europe to promote respect for traditional values and to
build respect for the place of religion in contemporary
Europe. The Holy See seeks a mutually enriching dialogue
between various religious communities, which it believes
can contribute to social and political harmony within
Europe, especially with the arrival of increasing numbers
of migrants from beyond the expanded European borders. At
the same time, the Vatican remains concerned about what it
terms a "notable gap between European culture, with its
profound Christian roots, and Muslim thought." In this
regard, the Holy See continues to lament the fact that
religious freedom in Europe is not reciprocated in many
Muslim states.

--------------
The Vatican's Agenda for Europe

--------------


15. (U) The Holy See is a strong advocate for European
unity, believing that Christianity provided the initial
unifying force that brought together Europe's diverse
cultural traditions, and that it continues today to provide
a unifying foundation of ethical and moral values for the
continent. With the EU poised to bring in ten new members,
the Vatican had hoped that the nations of 'new Europe' --
with their recent experience of religious repression --
would counterbalance the secularism and loss of faith in
the West with a renewed focus on moral and cultural values.
This drive accounts for the Pope's recent focus in his
travels to countries of Central and Eastern Europe -- most
recently to Slovakia and Croatia -- where he has cautioned
the Catholic faithful to avoid the loss of faith and moral
direction that has afflicted the countries of the West.
After surviving 40 years under the boot-heel of communism
in many of these countries, the Catholic Church regards
itself as a significant moral authority and has
demonstrated a willingness to place itself squarely in the
debate on key public issues in countries like Slovakia,
Poland and Croatia.


16. (U) The Holy See's central policy priority for Europe
is a focus on "fundamental values" of the dignity of the
human person, freedom, democracy, and constitutional order.
In this regard, the Vatican will urge EU countries, old and
new, to protect the rights of individuals and minorities;
promote religious freedom; protect human life from
conception to natural death; encourage family life based on
the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman; welcome
migrants; and guarantee young people a future with work,
culture and education in moral and spiritual values. The
Holy See believes that new European institutions need to be
more open to the religious dimension "rooted in authentic
ethical and civil values." As the Pope told the Italian
parliament in 2002, he wants to ensure that "the new
foundations of the European 'common house' will not lack
the 'cement' of that extraordinary religious, cultural and
civil patrimony which has given Europe its greatness down
the centuries." This is not to say that the Holy See is
looking for an exclusively Christian Europe, but rather
that it believes that without the cement of Christian
influence, Europe will crumble into moral decay and
"existential anguish" marked by a decline of the family,
renewed ethnic conflicts, rising racism, inter-religious
tension, and a selfish concern for personal interests over
global solidarity.

--------------
Comment: Vatican's Vision and U.S. Interests
--------------


17. (U) John Paul II's vision of a united and outward-
looking Europe rooted in Christian values faces
considerable opposition from the powerful forces of
secularism in Europe's West and from post-communist
materialism and uncertainties in the East. In fact, the
Pope's failure to ignite in the historic heartland of
Catholicism a spiritual fervor for the twenty-first century
has been perhaps the greatest frustration of his papacy.
One commentator has described Catholicism in Western Europe
as being "on life support," and in many countries,
increasingly irrelevant. This perception is why, in the
twilight of his pontificate, the Pope has sought with such
insistence to shore up the breaches of traditional
Christianity. For Pope John Paul II, the powerhouse for
the construction of the new Europe of the third millennium
should not be the legislatures of Brussels or Strasbourg,
but the moral force of Christian values at the heart of
European history and culture.


18. (SBU) Ironically, although the Pope remains sharply
focused on Europe's spirituality, his greatest influence in
today's Europe lies in the political realm. Europeans -
at least in the West -- may only infrequently heed the
Pope's religious teachings, but in both the East and West
they do listen to his political voice. His statements on
terrorism, the Middle East, war and peace, international
development, and inter-religious reconciliation are widely
covered in the European press. As a result, the Vatican's
vision for and actions in Europe can offer useful support
for U.S. goals of promoting a unified, democratic Europe
acting as an ethically motivated partner with the U.S. to
promote democracy, freedom, and justice worldwide.
Likewise, his voice in support of social and economic
stability, the rule of law, and democracy throughout
Central and Eastern Europe reinforces U.S. efforts to
ensure the successful integration of the East into Western
institutions. Finally, his caution to Europe to remain

open to the global community can help overcome European
self-absorption and foster a stronger and more morally-
rooted European engagement with the world closer in line
with U.S. priorities.

Nicholson


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2004VATICA00252 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED