CATHOLIC - ORTHODOX RELATIONS: NATIONALITY COUNTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000126

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/WE LARREA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/3/2016
TAGS: KIRF PHUM SOCI PL RS TU VT
SUBJECT: CATHOLIC - ORTHODOX RELATIONS: NATIONALITY COUNTS

REF: VATICAN 83, VATICAN 84

VATICAN 00000126 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Peter Martin, Pol/Econ Chief, Vatican, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



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Summary

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1. (C) New hope for Catholic-Orthodox relations in the
pontificate of Benedict XVI has been predicated in part upon the
exit of the Polish Pope John Paul II, seen by many as an
obstacle to improved relations with the Russian Orthodox Church
(ROC) because of his nationality and his role in the downfall of
Communism. Now the Vatican has taken another step away from the
Polish influence that rankles the Russians, replacing Polish
Jesuit Jozef Maj, the working-level point man for the
Catholic-Orthodox relationship. Maj's replacement, Slovene
Jesuit Milan Zust, told us he was looking forward to Moscow's
World Summit of Religious Leaders and noted that the Vatican was
making an important gesture in sending several cardinals to the
event. He also mentioned September's resumption of a
Catholic-Orthodox theological working group in Belgrade, and the
pope's planned visit to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in
November as important upcoming events in this dialogue.
Observers here are anxious to see if the personnel move and
upcoming events will lead to better days in Catholic-Orthodox
relations.

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Polish Baggage

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2. (C) Despite the exit of Pope John Paul II, Poles have
maintained wide influence at the Vatican, owing to their
entrenchment in the Vatican bureaucracy and their importance to
the Holy See's vision for the Church (reftels). But in the
field of Catholic-Orthodox relations, the Vatican is now just as
happy to leave the Poles out of the picture. It was well-known
during the pontificate of John Paul II that the pope's
nationality was a hindrance to his achieving his dream of
Catholic-Orthodox reconciliation -- a Church "breathing with two
lungs, East and West". The complicated history of relations
between Poland and Russia, combined with John Paul's historic
role in the collapse of communism, made him a threatening figure
for the Orthodox. Although the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is
not the only Orthodox interlocutor for the Vatican, improved
relations with the ROC are a sine qua non for wider ecumenical
reconciliation.

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Jesuit Dismissed

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3. (C) With the accession of Pope Benedict XVI, observers on
both sides of the dialogue saw new opportunities for advances.
Benedict clearly wanted to make such reconciliation one of his
own priorities, and he had none of the Pope John Paul's Polish
baggage. Now the Vatican has taken another step towards
reconciliation (and away from Polish influence) behind the
scenes, replacing Polish Jesuit Jozef Maj, the working-level
point man for the Catholic-Orthodox relationship at the
Pontifical Council for Christian Unity. Maj, a close embassy
contact, was widely acknowledged as the Vatican's top expert in
the field. He is a fluent Russian speaker and had worked at the
Vatican on this and related issues since the early 1980s. We
agree with Piotr Samerek, DCM at the Polish Embassy to the Holy
See, who has commented to us that Maj knows Russia and the
Orthodox world "inside out,"


4. (C) Despite his Polish roots, Maj had really become more
Italian than Slav. He preferred to speak Italian even in
meetings with Polish-speaking diplomats, and had spent only
short periods in Poland since coming to Rome early in the
pontificate of Pope John Paul II. Even so, his name and place
of birth jumped out at the Russians, even from the pages of his
Holy See passport. Contacts told us that the ROC put pressure
on the Vatican, through Maj's boss, Cardinal Walter Kasper, to
make a change. According to these sources, the Russians wanted
the Vatican to dismiss the Pole and bring in new blood - someone
who wouldn't - and couldn't -- recite the history of fits and
starts in Catholic-Orthodox relations over the past years.

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VATICAN 00000126 002.2 OF 002



Non-Threatening Slav

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5. (C) In Maj's place, Kasper has assigned Jesuit Fr. Milan
Zust, who as a Slovene shares Slavic blood with the Russians,
but far less of the troubled history with which Poles and
Russians struggle. "It's much less complicated for us" than it
is for the Poles, affirmed Jakob Stunf, DCM of the Slovene
Embassy to the Holy See. [Note: Stunf pointed out that Zust's
appointment had brought Slovene influence at the Vatican to
perhaps an all-time high. With Franc Rode, head of the
Vatican's Congregation for Consecrated Life, recently receiving
his cardinal's hat, and Slovenes holding an ambassadorship and
several other important positions at the Vatican and abroad, the
small nation is making its Catholic credentials count.]


6. (C) While Zust's experience in ecumenical dialogue cannot
compare to that of Maj, he does have substantial background in
the field, having studied and taught subjects connected to the
Eastern Churches. When he learned of his appointment to Maj's
position he went to Moscow for several months to work on his
Russian and get to know the country and people better. He told
us he developed good contacts at this time with ROC Patriarch
Alexei II's FM equivalent, Metropolitan Kirill, and many in his
office.

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Zust Optimistic

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7. (C) Zust is optimistic about the future of
Catholic-Orthodox relations, and told us he was looking forward
to the World Summit of Religious Leaders in Moscow July 3-5.
The Vatican was making an important gesture, Zust said, in
sending several cardinals to the event. Even though the summit
is a multi-lateral affair with little concrete planned for the
bi-lateral issues between the two churches, Zust said he thought
it would offer good opportunities to strengthen relations.
Without the pressure of specific bi-lateral issues, Zust hoped
that the two sides could focus more simply on their common
ground as Christians, this perhaps highlighted by the presence
of those from other faiths.

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Next Stop: Belgrade

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8. (C) Next, Zust noted, would be September's resumption of a
Catholic-Orthodox theological working group, a project that lay
dormant for some six years before the two sides revived it. The
talks are due to focus on several issues of crucial import to
Catholic-Orthodox relations, revolving around papal authority
and the sacramental structure of the churches. In November,
Pope Benedict is slated to go to Turkey where he will visit
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the "first among equals" among
Orthodox patriarchs. The trip will be important for
Catholic-Orthodox relations, but will have to be handled
carefully, as relations between Bartholomew and his fellow
patriarchs (especially Alexei) have not been without problems.

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Comment

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9. (C) Maj was clearly upset about his dismissal, and there
has been grumbling among the Poles in and around Vatican City
about his ouster. However, the change may be the extra spark
that Catholic-Orthodox relations need to overcome recent
challenges. Zust appears open-minded, explaining to us that
traditional Orthodox complaints about Catholic proselytism in
their lands need to be considered carefully. Hearing this, one
can see how Zust may be just the man the Orthodox want in this
position. There's no doubt about that, said one disgruntled
Pole who works at the Vatican. He claimed that the Russian
Orthodox would now take advantage of a relative neophyte in the
position and try to "get everything they can" out of the
Catholic Church. The next few months should provide a good
indication of whether the new hope many are holding out for this
relationship is warranted. The episode has already underscored
the importance Benedict continues to place on reconciliation
with the Orthodox.
ROONEY