POPE REACHES OUT TO CHINA

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000477

SIPDIS


DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (LEVIN);DRL/IRF

E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/18/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM VT CH TW
SUBJECT: POPE REACHES OUT TO CHINA


CLASSIFIED BY: Peter Martin, POL, Vatican, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)

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Summary
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1. (C) In his first formal foreign policy discourse, Pope
Benedict XVI called for closer relations with China at a May 12
audience for ambassadors accredited to the Holy See. Without
citing China directly, the new pope made a public push for a
cause that the Vatican has been promoting for some time.
Vatican Deputy Foreign Minister Pietro Parolin told us that the
Holy See had appreciated messages of condolence and
congratulations received from the Chinese during the papal
transition, and had meant to send a signal with Benedict's
statement. Parolin reiterated the Vatican's willingness to cut
ties with Taiwan as soon as Beijing made a move towards the
establishment of formal relations with the Holy See. He added
that the appointment of bishops -- another traditional sticking
point in the establishment of relations -- should not be a
"major problem." The Vatican-affiliated Community of
Sant'Egidio has been meeting with Chinese interlocutors in an
attempt to bring the two sides closer together. Although the
Community's relationship with the Holy See is not as tight as
recent media reports indicate, their cooperation on this issue
may be bringing the Holy See closer to its goal of a more formal
relationship with China. End Summary.

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An Appeal to China and Vietnam
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2. (U) At a May 12 audience for COMs accredited to the Holy
See, Pope Benedict emphasized his desire for closer relations
with countries that currently have no formal ties to the
Vatican. To leave a question as to which countries he meant, he
merely cited countries that had sent condolence messages or
delegations to Vatican City on the death of Pope John Paul II,
which included China and Vietnam. Benedict said he hoped to see
such countries represented formally at the Holy See in the near
future. Observers took his speech to refer in particular to
mainland China and Vietnam. (Note: Other countries in this
category could include Afghanistan, Brunei, Malaysia, Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. End note).

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Sending a Message
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3. (C) Vatican Deputy Foreign Minister equivalent Pietro
Parolin told Charge and visiting EUR/WE Director Kathy Allegrone
May 16 that Pope Benedict had wanted to send a message with his
remarks to diplomats. Although Vietnam is also on the Holy
See's radar, China is front and center. "We appreciated the
messages that the Chinese sent to honor the memory of Pope John
Paul II," Parolin said. He noted that the Holy See had in fact
received three messages: two from arms of the Patriotic Church,
and one from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Parolin repeated
what all Vatican-China watchers (and China and Taiwan) know: the
Holy See would drop relations with Taipei immediately if Beijing
would agree to some formal relationship. "It would not have to
be full diplomatic relations," Parolin emphasized; "it could
also be an Apostolic Delegate [a papal envoy]." Although the
Chinese typically cite the Holy See's relations with Taiwan as a
major obstacle to the establishment of relations, Parolin said
the Vatican had made clear to them that the Vatican was in favor
of the "one China policy."

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Appointment of Bishops not a Major Problem
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4. (C) The other obstacle to an upgrade of relations is what
Beijing fears would be "interference" in China's "internal
affairs." This refers to the Vatican's communication with its
bishops and faithful, and its ability to appoint bishops.
Parolin was confident that if Beijing had the will, the two
sides could work something out. "It's not a major problem," he
said, noting that the Holy See had reached a modus vivendi with
Vietnam regarding bishops. The Vatican simply presents its
episcopal candidates to the government of Vietnam, and Hanoi
says yes or no. "It's not ideal," Parolin admitted, "but it's a
way to take a step forward and increase our engagement."


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Mixed Signals
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5. (C) Parolin said he believed some new faces within the
Chinese government wanted to resolve the situation with the
Vatican, but that harder-line holdovers may still be exerting
influence. "We get so many mixed signals," Parolin explained.
(Note: Another top Vatican official told us the same thing
earlier the same day, pointing out that just as the Holy See was
receiving kind messages from the Chinese on the papal
transition, China was simultaneously arresting more bishops.
End note.) Parolin said the Holy See planned to continue
talking informally on issues of concern, often speaking to the
Chinese representation to the government of Italy. "We need to
be careful," he emphasized, noting the Vatican's desire to avoid
provoking reprisals against Catholics in China.

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Sant'Egidio's Efforts
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6. (C) Another channel for engagement with China is the
Vatican-affiliated Community of Sant'Egidio, a lay Catholic
group long active in conflict resolution and inter-religious
dialogue. The Community has been holding unofficial talks with
Chinese interlocutors for over a year, addressing questions of
religious freedom that hold the key to the Holy See-China
relationship. Sant'Egidio representatives have traveled to
Beijing for confidential talks and have also met counterparts in
Hong Kong. Sant'Egidio's Mario Marazitti told us that contacts
have come mainly from Chinese academic and extra-governmental
organizations. These Chinese then seek to use their connections
with the government to improve communication on issues important
to the Catholic community.


7. (C) The Vatican often uses outreach by Sant'Egidio as a
trial balloon on various issues; if the Community's efforts fail
or come under attack, the Holy See has an easy out. If things
progress, Vatican diplomats can take up slightly more formal
efforts to negotiate. In this case, Marazitti's comments
tracked with those of Parolin; he said he thought the Vatican
was ready to ease into more direct contact with the Chinese.


8. (C) Contrary to many media reports, links between the Holy
See and the Community are loose, and sometimes strained.
Recently, a Vatican diplomat had accepted an invitation to
attend a round table discussion at Sant'Egidio, co-sponsored by
the Embassy and the Community. Our Sant'Egidio contact was
surprised that the Holy See Foreign Ministry rep was coming, and
told us with a wink that he'd believe it when he saw it. "They
don't like to get too close to us," he said. Sure enough, the
MFA rep called the morning of the program to regret, saying that
a delegation had dropped in and he had been called away.
Marazitti says that the Community has felt a "new opening" for
cooperation with the Vatican since the election of Pope
Benedict; the case of China may be an opportunity to test the
theory.

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Comment
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9. (C) Pope Benedict included some pro-human rights and
anti-Communist rhetoric in his speech to the COMs that might
have made Beijing wince. But his opening towards China could
not have been more clear. Benedict's choice of venue and the
prominent placement of the references in his speech added a
public push to the efforts underway behind the scenes for a
breakthrough on China. Despite this, Taiwan's Ambassador to the
Holy See, Chou-Seng Tou, told the Charge May 17 he doubted there
would be a breakthrough soon. He said the Chinese are unable to
give up control of religious affairs and would see any Vatican
requirements for communication with bishops as too intrusive.
Ambassador Tou is not planning on packing his bags any time
soon. Still, in the context of past difficulties in Holy
See-China relations, any positive movement is noteworthy. End
comment.


HARDT


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2005VATICA00477 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL