IRF AMBASSADOR HANFORD REVIEWS THREATS AND NEXT

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000037

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR EUR/WE LEVIN; DRL/IRF HANFORD, RIGGS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/05/2015
TAGS: CH KIRF PHUM PINR PREL VT
SUBJECT: IRF AMBASSADOR HANFORD REVIEWS THREATS AND NEXT
STEPS WITH VATICAN

Classified By: CDA D. Brent Hardt for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

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Summary
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1. (SBU) During his December 1 - 4 visit to the Vatican,
Ambassador at large for International Religious Freedom John
Hanford reviewed U.S. religious freedom concerns and priorities
with Holy See Foreign Minister Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo
and other senior officials. Vatican officials highlighted
their concerns over the persecution of Christians in China,
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India and Sudan. They also
emphasized the importance of juridical recognition to
protect churches from government pressure and manipulation,
specifically in Russia and Vietnam. Many Vatican concerns
track with the recently released IRF report, but the Holy
See urged continued U.S. pressure on countries of concern.
End Summary.

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Religious Liberty Linked to Other Freedoms
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2. (C) In a December 3 meeting with the Holy See's
Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Giovanni

SIPDIS
Lajolo, Ambassador for International Religious Freedom John
Hanford emphasized that the U.S. was working to advance religious
freedom for Catholics and those of other religions wherever
it is under threat. The priority the U.S. attaches to this
issue, Hanford said, is reflected in the expansion in staff
in the State Department's Office of Religious Freedom,
which is charged with monitoring problems and advocating
with countries of concern for greater freedom. Archbishop
Lajolo welcomed the U.S. focus on religious freedom,
observing, "when there is no religious liberty, there is no
political liberty -- all freedoms are connected."

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China Top Vatican Priority
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3. (C) Lajolo made clear that China is the Holy See's
priority religious freedom concern. He pointed out that
the Holy See had repeatedly made known to China that they
had nothing to fear from greater freedom for Catholics.
He noted that the Chinese often cite Poland as an example
of how the Church helped topple a communist government, but
that the two cases were completely different. The Vatican
has pointed out that the percentage of Catholics in China
is minuscule compared to Poland -- 8-30 million in a
country of well over a billion people -- but this has yet
to assuage Chinese anxieties.


4. (C) Ambassador Hanford observed that he has devoted
considerable focus to China and has visited the country
twice, in each case raising Catholic concerns with various
Chinese authorities. Hanford said he has heard a standard
litany of four reasons why no progress in possible: Holy
See relations with Taiwan, the Pope's decision to canonize
Chinese saints on a sensitive day for the Chinese
government, the need for a stronger apology from the Pope
for this decision, and the need for the Holy See to make a
gesture toward the Chinese government. Hanford said he
understood that in regard publicly stated its willingness to shift relations from
Taiwan to the PRC swiftly should the Chinese open up that
possibility. He said he also emphasized to Chinese
authorities that the Pope's apology for the date of the
canonization had been strong and was more than might have
been expected.


5. (C) Lajolo noted that the Vatican receives occasional
signals from the Chinese that they want to get in touch and
begin a dialogue with the Embassy in Rome, but they are


never sure who they will be dealing with and whether the
contact would be authorized or could be a trap in which the
Chinese authorities could accuse the Vatican of trying to
work through sec ret channels. Lajolo said the Holy See's
impression was that attitudes at the top of the Chinese
hierarchy were more open to contact, but that at the middle
and lower levels, there was considerably more resistance.
Ambassador Hanford noted that senior officials with whom he
had met often displayed a naive view of Christianity and
the differences among various Christian groups. Overall,
Hanford noted that he had been disappointed with the
Chinese response to the concerns the U.S. had raised.
Lajolo shared Hanford's disappointment, but said it was the
Church's responsibility to "try and try again." In a
separate meeting, Frank Dewane of the Pontifical Council of
Justice and Peace noted that the Chinese are aware of the
presence of Catholic priests in China for professional
reasons. For example, Jesuit and Maryknoll professors
currently serve on Chinese university faculties, and their
presence offers the Holy See a small window into the country.

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Keeping Pressure on Saudi Arabia
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6. (C) Asked about the situation in Saudi Arabia, whose
inclusion on the list of countries of particular concern
(CPC) was welcomed by the Holy See, Hanford said the U.S.
wanted to nudge the government even though they were taking
some positive steps. He cited the Saudis' efforts to
replace school books that described other faiths in
"horrible" ways. Hanford noted that he had met with the
Italian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, who was very active in
working with Catholic communities in Saudi Arabia to
facilitate private Catholic services. He said the Saudis
know Masses are taking place and that there are priests in
the country; they are willing to tolerate this as long as
no further effort is made to regularize their presence and
activities. Lajolo said he appreciates that the Saudi
royal family is under pressure, but he belies it is also
vital for Catholics and other Christians to be able to
worship without fear in the kingdom.

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Bridging Gaps Between Theory and Practice
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7. (SBU) In separate meetings with Under-Secretary Frank
Dewane of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and
the Vatican-linked Sant,Egidio Community, Hanford was told
that although the situation in some countries may look
acceptable on paper, the situation on the ground faced by
priests and religious communities is frequently much
worse. Dewane said he had reviewed the most recent IRF
report and found that the assessments were not always as
"crisp" as they could be. He feared that international
political pressures came into play in some country
reports. He suggested that the Holy See might be more
critical of certain countries, behavior, particularly
that of Pakistan and India. Hanford responded that the U.S.
strives for complete accuracy and honesty in drafting the
report and would welcome Vatican information and feedback
if officials felt the report was at all "whitewashing" a
country's record.

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"Don't Let Pakistan Off the Hook"
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8. (C) Using virtually identical language, Monsignor Dewane
and Sant,Egidio,s Claudio Betti both urged Hanford
emphatically "not to let Pakistan off the hook." Citing
Pakistan's blasphemy laws and persecution of Christians,
Dewane said many Pakistanis who had been charged under the
blasphemy ordinances were forced to flee the country in


fear of their lives rather than fight the charges in
Pakistan. In the broader Middle East, Dewane emphasized
that the U.S. must recognize the growing flight of
Christians from the Middle East. "Parents do not see a
future for their children there," he said. Maronite
(Catholic) Bishop El-Hachem in Lebanon recently told
Dewane that "soon there'll be no one left."
Dewane pointed out that it is a human rights violation
to be driven out of one's country.

While the Holy See continues to have problems in India, he
said the Vatican views the IRF country report on India as
encouragement to the new Indian government to go further in
protecting its religious minorities and continuing the
repeal of non-conversion laws as was recently seen in Tamil
Nadu.

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Juridicaaries and
thus the growth and reach of the church. Sant'Egidio reps
pointed to problems in Sudan, where the Community has been
working for several years to protect churches and
Christians. Sant'Egidio's Fabio Riccardi cited two
instances where his direct appeal to contacts in the
Sudanese government had saved Christian churches from the
bull-dozers.

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Comment
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10. (C) Ambassador Hanford's participation in Embassy's
conference on religious freedom and his meetings with
Vatican officials reinforced a crucial area of common
interest between the USG and the Holy See and helped focus
attention on problem areas. Rooted in its interest in
ensuring freedom for Catholics to worship worldwide, the
Holy See has become a strong advocate for freedom for all
faiths. Embassy greatly appreciates Ambassador Hanford's
engagement and will maintain a close dialogue with the Holy
See to share perspectives on areas of concern where the
Holy See's "on the ground" perspective may offer insights
on ways forward.

HARDT


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2005VATICA00037 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL