HOLY SEE: MEETING WITH CARDINAL DIAS

UNCLAS VATICAN 000166 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL VT SUBJECT: HOLY SEE: MEETING WITH CARDINAL DIAS REF: (A) VATICAN 085, (B) Vatican 043, (c) Vatican 0163 ¶1. (U) Charge d'affaires paid an introductory call on Cardinal Ivan Dias, who heads the Holy See's Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (also known as Propaganda Fide) on August 9. Dias, 70, was appointed Prefect in May of this year, following nine years as Archbishop of Mumbai (ref a). ¶2. (SBU) Dias touched on a number of topics during the meeting, as follows. -China: Dias, who formerly worked on China as a minutante (desk officer) at the Secretariat of State, estimated 13-15 million Catholics in China, with 128 legitimate bishops. He acknowledged many vacant episcopal sees, along with the likelihood that the PRC might again nominate additional bishops without papal approval. He said his dicastery coordinates closely with the Secretariat of State, and expressed confidence that over the medium to long term, things will improve for relations between the Holy See and China. -Albania: Posted in Tirana in the early 1990s, Dias recalled working with Mother Teresa to obtain a building just vacated by the Cuban ambassador, outcompeting other countries for the spot. He said that Albanian Christians had managed to preserve their faith during the communist years, and Catholicism is growing there. Albanian Muslims, in his opinion, had not managed to do so in any robust way; Iran had wanted to move in once the regime fell, but did not find much to work with. -India: The current government is much preferable to its BJP predecessor, from the Church's point of view. Dias nevertheless noted that anti-conversion laws were a state matter, and would wax and wane according to the fortunes of Hindu nationalist parties in the states. Over the long run he seems confident that the problem will be minor. He said that evangelical groups seek large numbers of conversions for publicity, but obtain conversions by offering tangible inducements such as jobs, housing, etc. Consequently such converts are ripe for re-conversion if the inducement dries up, or if Hindu groups offer a counter-inducement. Catholics strictly avoid such tactics, and conversion is a lengthy and gradual process with much more permanent results. -Ghana: Dias fondly recalled his days as nuncio, and told a story about his meeting with the king to illustrate the effectiveness of inculturation as practiced by the Church in Ghana. For example, in Ghana's matriarchal society, the Queen Mother is very important; the Virgin Mary serves as a Catholic parallel. The king speaks through a "linguist" and any errors are thus attributed to the linguist, not the king; Dias cited the Catholic recognition that Scripture requires interpretation, which can change/progress (perhaps err) over time. The Catholic procession for Sts. Peter and Paul echoes the king's own procession. Such inculturation has made the faith very successful and intrinsic in Ghana, whereas in some parts of Africa it has remained more formal. -Interreligious Dialogue: Dias wrote earlier this year on the papal encyclical Dominus Iesus (written by then-Cardinal Ratzinger in 2000),which prompted some criticism in Asia because of its renewed emphasis on the unique role of Jesus in salvation -- thus apparently stepping back from John Paul's engagement with other faiths. In conversation with charge, Dias explained that while Jesus is essential to salvation, members of other religions may in fact approach Jesus "without knowing it" through pious practice of their own faith. Dias said he had had good relations with many Muslim and Hindu leaders in India and did not see the Vatican reshuffle earlier this year (ref b) as having caused any problems for interreligious dialogue. -Africa and Asia Synods: Dias will attend a regional conference of Asian bishops in October of this year in Bangkok. His dicastery has a leading role in preparing for the African Synod of Bishops to be held in 2009 (ref c). SANDROLINI