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

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Summary
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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.

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Building on Papal Messages
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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.

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Critical Editorial Comment
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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.

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Focus on Civilian Casualties
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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.

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Comment
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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

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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