VATICAN: MUSLIM AMBASSADORS REACT TO PAPAL GESTURES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 VATICAN 000209

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/WE LARREA; DRL/IRF HEWETT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/3/2031
TAGS: KIRF PTER SOCI PHUM VT
SUBJECT: VATICAN: MUSLIM AMBASSADORS REACT TO PAPAL GESTURES

REF: A. VATICAN 207


B. VATICAN 206

C. VATICAN 204

D. VATICAN 201

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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) The ambassadors of several Muslim nations told
Ambassador Rooney in recent days that they were ready to move on
after the flap with Pope Benedict XVI. Some were still
sensitive about the pope's quotation in his Regensburg speech,
and all felt the pope had made a mistake in using it. According
to some, the quotation had given radical Muslims ammunition to
whip up anti-Western sentiment. Unfortunately our Muslim
contacts have generally failed to see the controversy as an
opportunity to address underlying issues of religion and
violence and the disproportionate (violent) response of some in
the Muslim world. The Vatican's analysis of recent events
(reftels and septel) is markedly different from that of the
Muslim envoys. End Summary.



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Ambassador Addresses Muslims

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2. (C) Ambassador Rooney met with the ambassadors of several
Muslim nations in recent days to get feedback on the recent flap
with the Holy See, and in particular on their reaction to the
pope's unusual September 25 meeting with Muslim ambassadors to
the Holy See and Italian Muslim representatives (ref a).
Ambassador Rooney emphasized President Bush's desire for
continuing dialogue and strong relations with moderate Islam,
and pointed out that it is in everyone's interest to avoid a
clash of civilizations. The Muslim envoys were enthusiastic
about the chance to discuss the issue with Ambassador Rooney and
address their concerns.



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Steps Appreciated

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3. (C) Most Muslim envoys appreciated the steps the pope has
taken since his Regensburg speech, especially his convocation of
ambassadors and Italian Islamic leaders September 25. Most
stated that it was time to move on, even if there are lingering
sensitivities. "You can't expect a direct apology" from the
pope, Moroccan Ambassador Ali Achour told Ambassador Rooney.
The steps the pope has taken are "good enough" to "put an end to
the issue" Achour concluded. He said that his government had
felt compelled to recall him in order to make a statement about
the matter, but that it was only three days - "no big deal."




4. (C) Indonesian Ambassador Bambang Prayitno emphasized the
moderate, proportional reaction to the pope's speech in his
country, and noted the calls of Indonesian leaders for calm in
the wake of the Regensburg remarks. He didn't anticipate any
lasting problems in Indonesian - Holy See relations as a result
of the Regensburg speech, or the recent executions of three
Catholics in Indonesia (septel).



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For Some Case is Not Closed

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5. (C) While most envoys have lowered their voices, the case
is not yet closed on this episode. Foreign ministers from the
Organization of the Islamic Conference approved a statement
after the pope's September 25 meeting calling for the Vatican to
"retract or redress" the Regensburg quotation. Egyptian
Ambassador to the Holy See Nevine Simaika Halim Abdalla passed
the pope a letter September 25 asking for a modification of the
written record of his trip (ref a). It is clear to us that the
pope will not apologize further, though a footnote in the final
text of the Regensburg speech is not out of the question.



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Lingering Feelings

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6. (C) Our Muslim contacts here - even those who were ready to
turn the page on the issue - were unanimous in their view that
the use of the quotation was a "mistake" that had needlessly
angered the Muslim world. Mild-mannered Prayitno told
Ambassador Rooney that the inclusion of the offending quotation
was "of course" a mistake, regardless of the context. Neither
he nor other Muslim contacts were quick to see the opportunity
for a more frank or direct dialogue on the question of
religiously-inspired violence in the wake of the pope's remarks.





7. (C) Halim Abdalla acknowledged that the pope's message in
Regensburg was complex, but said that the Muslim on the street
would not understand the nuances of an academic speech. She
said the pope needed to understand that he even when giving an
academic lecture, he is still the pope, and his words would
therefore be taken in a different light. She criticized his
choice of quotation on logical and factual grounds before taking
aim at what she saw as a central problem with the episode. "He
easily could have used an old testament passage to illustrate
the commingling of violence and religion," she said," but he
couldn't do that for fear of offending the Jews." She added
that there were plenty of Christian episodes of violence to
choose from as well.



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Devils Smearing Islam

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8. (C) Halim Abdalla condemned Al Qaeda and their ilk as
"devils" who are "smearing" the reputation of Islam. But she
said that the pope's words had given the radical fringe
ammunition to incite the impressionable masses. The Moroccan
ambassador had a similar take, charging that the pope had played
into the hands of the radicals, and made it difficult for the
moderates. Halim Abdalla commented that Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had played it smart politically, expressing
outrage at first, but then appearing reasonable in response to
the pope's later comments.



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Vatican Bureaucracy

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9. (C) Several envoys emerged from the flap with complaints
about the Vatican bureaucracy. Achour said the streamlined
staffing at the Vatican made it difficult for him to pick up the
phone and speak to someone when the issue heated up. He also
charged that the transfer of the former Vatican chief of
relations with Muslims, Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, to Egypt,
had left a gaping hole in the hierarchy. Achour did not feel
that French Cardinal Paul Poupard (now overseeing the Catholic -

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Muslim portfolio) was really the "go-to" person who would be
responsive in a situation like this.



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Israeli Weighs In

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10. (C) Israeli Ambassador Oded Ben-Hur, who has followed
events closely, told Ambassador Rooney he agreed that radical
Islamic elements had been skillful in taking advantage of the
pope's quotation. In the end, though, he was left with the
feeling that the way ahead in Christian - Muslim dialogue (which
also heavily impacts Judaism and Israel) will be difficult. He
sees an impassable roadblock on the religious end of dialogue,
since the word of Mohammed is "immutable and transcendental."
On the other hand, a cultural and political dialogue based on
"mutual respect" requires an adherence to ideals of reciprocity
(i.e., in freedom of religion and condemnation of violence)
between the Muslim world and the West that, according to
Ben-Hur, the Muslims can't stomach. This all should lead to the
state having a greater role in enforcing standards of
reciprocity and religious freedom when religious authorities are
at an impasse or are restricting such freedoms - but this is
only possible if there is Church/State separation.



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Comment

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11. (C) Ambassador Rooney's recent conversations (and Post's
conversations with lower-level contacts) reveal a Muslim
community on the whole ready to move ahead, but not forget what
most see as a grave slight to Islam. We were disappointed that
more have not seen an opportunity here to address underlying
issues of religion and violence. Similarly, the hesitancy to
address the disproportionate (violent) reaction by some in the
Muslim world is a challenge. Still, Ambassador Rooney received
favorable responses to his invitation to further dialogue on the
issue, and Post will be pursuing several possibilities for
collaboration with our colleagues from the Islamic world.
ROONEY