CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS VATICAN - U.S. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000016

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (JLARREA),EUR/PPD, DRL (PKELLY)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KIRF PHUM VT
SUBJECT: CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS VATICAN - U.S. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
CONCERNS


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Summary
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1. Last December marked the fortieth anniversary of the
promulgation of Dignitatis Humanae, an influential document from
the Second Vatican Council in 1965. To commemorate this,
Embassy Vatican hosted a conference on January 18 in Rome. An
overflow crowd of 140 influential Vatican officials, media,
ambassadors and members of the Holy See diplomatic corps
attended the event. All attendees received a copy of the
International Religious Freedom (IRF) Report Executive Summary.
Before the event Poloff briefed all of the speakers on the IRF
Report and gave each one a copy. End Summary.

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Participants
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2. At a conference sponsored by Embassy Vatican on the Vatican
II document Dignitatis Humanae three American speakers gave
presentations on its significance to religious freedom.
Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington, DC, spoke
about the importance of religious freedom and his work promoting
religious freedom worldwide; Dr. Scott Appleby, Director of the
Notre Dame Institute for International Peace Studies, addressed
the historical origins of the document; and Jim Towey, Director
of the White House Office for Faith-Based and Community
Initiatives addressed the audience on the importance of
religious freedom. Influential members of the Vatican Curia in
attendance included Archbishop Foley, the President of the
Pontifical Council for Social Communications; Monsignor Pietro
Parolin, Under Secretary for Relations with States (equivalent
to "Deputy Foreign Minister"); and Monsignor Gabriele Caccia,
Assessor for General Affairs (equivalent to "Deputy Minister of
Interior").


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Opening Remarks
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3. The Ambassador began the conference by reiterating President
Bush's thoughts on the importance of religious freedom, "...we
are grateful for our freedoms as Americans, especially the
freedom to worship. We are grateful that freedom is spreading to
still new regions of the world, and we pray that those who still
live in the darkness of tyranny will some day see the light of
freedom." The Ambassador stressed the inalienable right of all
people to be free in the expression of their religious beliefs,
a cornerstone of Dignitatis Humanae.

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Church and American Perspective
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4. Cardinal McCarrick cited his experiences throughout the world
as an American representative of the Roman Catholic Church.
McCarrick stressed the United States' role in promoting human
rights and dignity; the struggle for religious liberty and its
relationship to democracy was a strong theme in his discourse.
Cardinal McCarrick also noted the importance of the IRF report
as a tool for encouraging religious freedom throughout the
world. As a well-respected representative of both the USG and
the Catholic Church, Cardinal McCarrick gives credit and
essential support to the USG position on religious freedom and
creates continued support within the Catholic Church.


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An Historical Perspective
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5. Dr. Scott Appleby from Notre Dame University spoke on the
history of the document. His speech revolved around development
of religious freedom in the United States and the role of
American Catholic clergy. Dr. Appleby noted parallels between
the Catholic Church's changed attitude towards religious freedom
and the current situation in the Muslim world and emphasized the
importance of the disparities within the Islamic faith.

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White House Perspective
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6. Jim Towey, Director of the White House Office for Faith-Based
and Community Initiatives gave the White House perspective,
stating that religious and political freedom go hand in hand.
Mr. Towey invited all in attendance to read the IRF report and
gave the state department web address and requested that people
not just read the report, but also share it with their

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colleagues. He explained the four core principles in the
administration of funds from his office; no favoritism - "there
must be impartiality, there must be a respect for minority
faiths, minority groups, to respect even the rights of atheists,
to be atheists", no discrimination in terms of the people served
by the funds, no funding of inherently religious activities and
no coercion - individuals participating in programs funded by
the federal government must have a choice and cannot be forced
to participate in religious observance in order to receive
services. This explanation was welcomed by the audience as the
Catholic Church and its NGOs are very large recipients and
administrators of these funds.

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Media Coverage
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7. Media coverage for this event was considerable. Media in
attendance included Catholic News Service, The Wall Street
Journal, The New York Times, FIDES News Agency, Vatican Radio,
National Catholic Register, 30 Days (Italian),ZENIT News
Service, ANSA News Service, REUTERS, I. Media (French),FOX, and
L'Espresso. ZENIT News Service published an article January 18,
Catholic News Service, distributed to diocesan newspapers
throughout the U.S., published an article January 19 and Vatican
Radio News carried the story in English, Italian and German.
Several other news outlets will be publishing articles in the
coming weeks.

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Comment
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8. The Catholic Church is an ardent supporter of worldwide
religious freedom promoting the rights of all people, regardless
of religious affiliation. Post works with the Holy See on IRF
issues, exchanging information and developing strategies for
engagement in countries of mutual concern. The conference was
very well received; robust attendance by Vatican officials,
press and the diplomatic corps highlighted Vatican - U.S.
cooperation and the USG's leadership role in international
religious freedom. Senior Holy See officials including
Monsignor Parolin, the equivalent of "Deputy Foreign Minister"
praised the conference in subsequent comments to the Ambassador.
Several references by speakers to the IRF report and the
distribution of its Executive Summary to all participants
created further opportunity for engagement on the issue. The
IRF report is already required reading in most Curial offices.
End Comment.
ROONEY