ARCHBISHOP ROSALES ENCOURAGES CHURCH TO STAY OUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 004271 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/PMBS, EAP/IET, INR/EAP, INR/B E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/08/2015 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PINR RP SUBJECT: ARCHBISHOP ROSALES ENCOURAGES CHURCH TO STAY OUT OF POLITICS, DENOUNCES POVERTY AND CORRUPTION REF: A. MANILA 4199 ¶B. MANILA 3946 ¶C. VATICAN 500 ¶D. MANILA 3167 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Darryl N. Johnson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: In a September 8 meeting with Charge, Archbishop of Manila Gaudencio Rosales identified economic and moral poverty as the greatest problems in the Philippines today and criticized the current political leadership as corrupt and ineffective in improving the lives of the people. He indicated that members of the Church should refrain from actively participating in politics, while acknowledging that the Church has a role to play in promoting personal development and social justice. End Summary. ¶2. (U) On September 8, Charge d'Affaires Johnson met with Archbishop of Manila Gaudencio Rosales at his residence in Intramuros, Manila. Poloff (notetaker) also attended. -------------- Church Should Tread Lightly in Politics -------------- ¶3. (C) Charge expressed his condolences for the passing of Rosales' predecessor, Jaime Cardinal Sin. Rosales acknowledged the tremendous influence Cardinal Sin held in the Church and in Philippine society (see ref b),but said the Church had entered a new era and was now focused on tending to the spiritual and material needs of its members. He said that although the Church here had a history of supporting freedom (citing the 1986 People Power movement, in which Cardinal Sin played a prominent role),members of the clergy should avoid imposing themselves directly into political disputes. He noted that the statement the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued on July 10 regarding allegations that President Arroyo cheated in the 2004 elections was "carefully crafted." (Note: The statement urged the President to examine the situation and to make the best decision for the country, while stopping short of calling for her resignation. End Note.) -------------- -- Economic and Moral Poverty Threaten Philippines -------------- -- ¶4. (C) Rosales stressed that the most important issue facing the Philippines is poverty - both material and spiritual. He pointed out that 62 percent of the residents of Manila live in poverty and that more than 70 percent are below the poverty line nationwide. To address the material needs of Filipinos, Rosales said the Church sponsors numerous programs to encourage personal development, such as the "Pondong Pinoy" (Filipino Fund),in which Catholics donate 25 centavos (about 1/2 a cent) at collection boxes throughout the country. The program, which started in June 2004, has sponsored feeding programs for the poor, education for disadvantaged children, and microfinance lending to peasants. ¶5. (C) Rosales criticized the prevalence of moral poverty in the Philippines, especially in politics. He lamented the corruption that he claimed had permeated every presidential administration since Ferdinand Marcos except that of Corazon Aquino, although he admitted that even many of those around her engaged in graft and corruption. He claimed that because of this moral decay, successive governments had failed to meet the needs of the Filipino people. -------------- Other Political Issues -------------- ¶6. (C) Constitutional Change: Rosales praised former President Fidel Ramos for his televised remarks of September 7 in which he outlined plans to move to a parliamentary system of government. However, Rosales said that he was not convinced that such a change would solve the country's pressing problems and suggested that many groups, including the Catholic Church, would have to debate thoughtfully the ramifications of such a move in a public Constitutional Assembly before moving to a new form of government. ¶7. (C) China: Rosales flagged the growing dominance of China in the region saying, "they have arrived and they want their presence noted." He added that he is planning a trip to Taiwan soon, but was taking care to keep a low profile, out of sensitivity for the "One China Policy." ¶8. (C) Trafficking in Persons: The Church strongly supported recent moves by the Japanese Government to tighten its visa requirement for Filipino entertainers -- many of whom, Rosales acknowledged, ended up in prostitution. He noted with disdain that officials from the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) had approached the Church, urging it to support DOLE's calls to delay the implementation of the stricter rules. The Church remained firm in its support of the measures. Charge pointed out that the new requirements had been effective at reducing the number of Filipino entertainers going to Japan (ref a). ¶9. (C) Opposition to President Arroyo: Rosales warned Charge there were many "red flags" (i.e. leftist groups) among groups demonstrating against President Arroyo. He said the possibility existed for dangerous alliances between corrupt officials such as Senator "Ping" Lacson and militant leftist organizations. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶10. (C) Rosales appears to be following Vatican guidance on keeping the Church out of politics, although he is known to be close to former President Corazon Aquino. Rosales is likely to continue to steer the Church in the Philippines to focus on the physical and spiritual needs of Catholics rather than on domestic politics. Visit Embassy Manila's Classified SIPRNET website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/manila/index. cfm You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/ JOHNSON