HOLY SEE MAKES POINT ON BOSNIA'S CATHOLICS

1. (SBU) On the heels of Poloff's meeting with Vatican Balkans
Director Monsignor Miguel Maury (ref a), Holy See FM Giovanni
Lajolo called in the Ambassador November 14 to deliver an aide
memoire (complete text faxed to EUR/WE, DRL/IRF and EUR/SCE) on
the situation in Bosnia Herzegovina (BiH). The document
expressed the hope that an "equitable and stable solution" could
be found for BiH that would not "discriminate against Catholics
living in the country."



2. (SBU) The Vatican also passed a copy of the BiH Bishops
Conference platform for constitutional reform in the country
(ref a), and urged that the voice of the Catholic bishops be
"listened to and taken seriously." The aide memoire said that
the bishops had "objectively" explained a situation in which
Catholics in BiH did not enjoy the civil rights of other
citizens and were being "induced to leave their land of origin."
It ended by emphasizing that Pope Benedict was "concerned"
about the "serious situation" in the diocese of Banja Luka
"where only ten percent of the 150,000 Catholics living there
before the war returned, on account of the precarious social,
economic, and security situations." The Vatican cited the
November 2004 assassination of Monsignor Kazimir Visaticki of
Bosanka Gradisa, who had "publicly denounced the situation" one
week earlier, as a "particularly serious and worrisome" sign.



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Comment


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3. (C) Balkans Director Maury had been passionate in
discussing the "plight" of BiH Catholics in a meeting with
Poloff November 11, and likely decided to make it clear that he
had the backing of his superiors by getting the FM involved.
Lajolo's office accented the importance it places on the issue
by calling us to arrange the Ambassador's appointment on
Saturday November 12, while the Ambassador was still in St.
Peter's Basilica following his credentials ceremony with the
pope. The aide memoire's specific mention of the pope's concern
about the situation was also a significant point. As the Holy
See MFA is normally quite judicious in calling in the
Ambassador, it is clear that the Vatican feels very strongly
about this issue.
ROONEY