LEBANON: CATHOLIC MEDIA COMMENTARY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000169 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL SOCI VT SUBJECT: LEBANON: CATHOLIC MEDIA COMMENTARY VATICAN 00000169 001.4 OF 002 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) Catholic media have given balanced coverage to the war in Lebanon, while editorial material has tended to criticize U.S. support for Israel as well as Israel's "disproportionate" response to Hezbollah terrorism. More "page space" has been given to the greater loss of civilian life in Lebanon. Papal statements form the basis of all reporting. All Catholic media have expressed grave concern for the fate of civilians caught up in the fighting. -------------- Building on Papal Messages -------------- ¶2. (U) Catholic media in Rome and in the U.S. have consistently given prominence to Pope Benedict XVI's appeals for a cessation of violence, while at the same time offering editorial comment reflecting each organization's theological or political bias. Fed to media by the Holy See's press office, the papal statements condemning violence and terrorism in Lebanon and Israel have come thick and fast, including an unusual release August 5 from an otherwise embargoed television interview with two German television channels to be aired August 13 ahead of the papal visit to his native Bavaria (08/06 email to EUR). ¶2. (SBU) The Catholic media's factual reporting on the war is based on international press agency material, with additional information coming from local Catholic Church personnel such as Caritas officials and members of religious orders. More "page space" has been given to the greater loss of civilian life in Lebanon. Much of the Catholic-angle material used by diocesan newspapers and magazines throughout the U.S. comes via the U.S. bishops' Catholic News Service (CNS). The CNS Rome office reports regularly on Vatican and general Catholic opinion on the conflict. CNS has reporters stationed in Jerusalem and Beirut, and has excellent contact with Middle East experts affiliated to Catholic universities in Rome and elsewhere. We note that the CNS Rome bureau chief has been a welcome guest at the Holy See's Foreign Ministry recently. CNS is obviously seen as an effective entrie into the U.S. for the Holy See's position on the conflict. -------------- Critical Editorial Comment -------------- ¶3. (U) Some Catholic editorial material has heaped criticism on Israeli's "disproportionate" military response to Hezbollah's attacks and the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers. U.S. support for Israel has also come in for criticism - even from the Holy See's semi-official newspaper "L'Osservatore Romano" - particularly after the U.S. veto on an early UNSC resolution calling for a ceasefire. U.S. Jesuit monthly "America" was particularly scathing of administration policy. The editorial for the August 14 edition describes the policy to go after Hezbollah by attacking Lebanon as "a return to Bush II illusions about remaking the Middle East by armed force." Rome-based "Asia News" published an interview by Jesuit Middle East expert Father Samir Khalil Samir accusing the U.S. of giving "unconditional support" to Israel's disproportionate military action. National Catholic Reporter's internationally renowned reporter, John Allen, recently interviewed the Chairman of the U.S. Catholic Bishops Committee on International Affairs, Thomas Wenski of Orlando Florida. Responding to Secretary Rice's call for a meaningful ceasefire, Wenski said, "In our view, it's meaningful when people stop dying" - a position reiterated by Washington D.C.'s former archbishop Cardinal Theodore McCarrick in reports of his visit to Beirut 08/10. -------------- Focus on Civilian Casualties -------------- ¶4. (U) All Catholic media have expressed grave concern for the fate of civilians caught up in the fighting. Photographs of the victims - including gruesome images of dead infants after the Qana incident - are featured prominently, as are personal stories of tragedy, flight and survival. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In the main, Catholic media reporting of the war in Lebanon has been factually balanced, while commentary has been critical of Israeli heavy handedness and has expressed concern for the impact of the violence on Lebanese civilians. The papal statements calling for a ceasefire, protection for civilians and the provision of humanitarian aid have formed the basis of media VATICAN 00000169 002.4 OF 002 coverage, often acting as a springboard for in depth analysis and on the ground interviews. Much of the coverage has focused on efforts by Catholic religious organization and aid agencies to respond to the needs of refugees and displaced persons. SANDROLINI