Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06VATICAN105
2006-06-09 10:13:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Vatican
Cable title:
HOLY SEE: CONVERSATION WITH PRIME MINISTER BLAIR
how-toVZCZCXRO3356 PP RUEHROV DE RUEHROV #0105 1601013 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 091013Z JUN 06 FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0363 INFO RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0005 RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 0391
C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000105
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/7/2016
TAGS: PREL VT
SUBJECT: HOLY SEE: CONVERSATION WITH PRIME MINISTER BLAIR
CLASSIFIED BY: Christopher Sandrolini, Deputy Chief of Mission,
EXEC, State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000105
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/7/2016
TAGS: PREL VT
SUBJECT: HOLY SEE: CONVERSATION WITH PRIME MINISTER BLAIR
CLASSIFIED BY: Christopher Sandrolini, Deputy Chief of Mission,
EXEC, State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)
1. (C) Summary. During a June 3 conversation with Ambassador
Rooney, UK PM Blair commented on his efforts to reach out to
British Muslims and on several trends in Europe of great concern
to the Holy See. End summary.
2. (SBU) Ambassador spoke with Prime Minister Blair at length at
a small luncheon hosted June 3 by British ambassador Campbell,
following Blair's call earlier that day on Pope Benedict XVI.
The following observations from that lunch may be of interest to
UK-watchers.
3. (C) Blair was very interested in discussing religion with the
prominent American and British clergy at the table (Cardinal
William Levada, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop
Michael Miller). They also talked, as the pope often does, of
the trend in Europe toward late marriage, high divorce rates,
falling birth rates, and secularism; and the grave implications
of these trends for popular values, prospects for the
unification of Christian denominations, and health of the
Catholic Church. Blair also asked a few questions about
Catholic theology. Ambassador commented on the relatively
healthy state of Catholicism, and religion in general, in the
United States.
4. (C) Blair discussed measures he's taken to build bridges to
Muslims in the wake of the London bombings, including moves to
desegregate Muslim enclaves, and prospects for achieving a
moderation of Islam in the near future. Ambassador noted the
difficulty faced by any subset of peoples living in one country
but feeling psychologically and emotionally disconnected from
its original national identity, and the problems that ensued in
the host country. Blair picked up on the point to begin a
discussion of moderate forces and countries in the Islamic
world, and the prospects for them to grow. He asked why
American Muslims are apparently less militant than in Europe, to
which the ambassador responded (as Pope Benedict put it to him
earlier) that our "tradition of assimilation" of peoples has to
have something to do with it.
ROONEY
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/7/2016
TAGS: PREL VT
SUBJECT: HOLY SEE: CONVERSATION WITH PRIME MINISTER BLAIR
CLASSIFIED BY: Christopher Sandrolini, Deputy Chief of Mission,
EXEC, State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)
1. (C) Summary. During a June 3 conversation with Ambassador
Rooney, UK PM Blair commented on his efforts to reach out to
British Muslims and on several trends in Europe of great concern
to the Holy See. End summary.
2. (SBU) Ambassador spoke with Prime Minister Blair at length at
a small luncheon hosted June 3 by British ambassador Campbell,
following Blair's call earlier that day on Pope Benedict XVI.
The following observations from that lunch may be of interest to
UK-watchers.
3. (C) Blair was very interested in discussing religion with the
prominent American and British clergy at the table (Cardinal
William Levada, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop
Michael Miller). They also talked, as the pope often does, of
the trend in Europe toward late marriage, high divorce rates,
falling birth rates, and secularism; and the grave implications
of these trends for popular values, prospects for the
unification of Christian denominations, and health of the
Catholic Church. Blair also asked a few questions about
Catholic theology. Ambassador commented on the relatively
healthy state of Catholicism, and religion in general, in the
United States.
4. (C) Blair discussed measures he's taken to build bridges to
Muslims in the wake of the London bombings, including moves to
desegregate Muslim enclaves, and prospects for achieving a
moderation of Islam in the near future. Ambassador noted the
difficulty faced by any subset of peoples living in one country
but feeling psychologically and emotionally disconnected from
its original national identity, and the problems that ensued in
the host country. Blair picked up on the point to begin a
discussion of moderate forces and countries in the Islamic
world, and the prospects for them to grow. He asked why
American Muslims are apparently less militant than in Europe, to
which the ambassador responded (as Pope Benedict put it to him
earlier) that our "tradition of assimilation" of peoples has to
have something to do with it.
ROONEY