VATICAN: SCENE SETTER FOR CODEL SMITH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000216 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/WE LARREA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OVIP VT SOCI PHUM SUBJECT: VATICAN: SCENE SETTER FOR CODEL SMITH ¶1. (U) Below please find background information to serve as a scene setter for the upcoming CODEL SMITH. -------------- The Holy See -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The Holy See is the composite of the authority, jurisdiction, and sovereignty vested in the Pope and his advisors to direct the Roman Catholic Church. The Holy See has a legal personality under international law giving it recognition as a sovereign entity, which allows it to enter into treaties and to send and receive diplomatic representatives. Vatican City State provides territorial sovereignty that guarantees the Holy See's ability to operate in freedom as the juridical equivalent of other states. ¶3. (SBU) The Pope is Head of State and enjoys absolute executive, judicial, and legislative authority. He is elected for life by an Electoral College of Cardinals. Pope Benedict XVI was elected April 19, 2005. Over the last 40 years, the Holy See has become a leading voice for justice, peace, and human rights worldwide, respected even in countries without large Catholic populations. ¶4. (SBU) The Head of Government is the Pope's Secretary of State, who operates as the equivalent of a Prime Minister. He governs the Holy See with the support of the Roman Curia - the Vatican City-based government composed of twenty Cabinet-level departments and other judicial and administrative agencies. The Secretariat of State, in coordination with the Congregations and SIPDIS Councils, is responsible for the Holy See's internal affairs and external relations. ¶5. (SBU) The Holy See has one of the largest and the oldest diplomatic representations in the world, and maintains diplomatic relations with 174 countries. The Holy See participates actively in international fora, and has membership or observer status in the United Nations and many other international organizations. The Pope's views and the Holy See's worldwide diplomacy can and do affect an array of U.S. international goals. -------------- U.S. - Holy See Diplomatic Relations -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Formal diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the Holy See were established in 1984, after more than two centuries of less formal relations. The Embassy focuses its engagement exclusively on international issues, scrupulously avoiding involvement in internal religious matters. Bilateral relations with the Holy See are excellent, with close collaboration on key policy areas such as trafficking in human persons, global development, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, human rights, religious freedom, inter-religious dialogue and relations with Islam, and the war on terrorism. We share information and consult on issues from all over the world, e.g., Iraq, Israel /Palestine, Cuba, Venezuela, China, Iran, Turkey, the Balkans, and the Great Lakes region of Africa. -------------- Religious Freedom -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Post has worked closely with the Vatican on religious freedom issues. We have shared information and otherwise engaged with the Holy See on the issue in China, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Cuba. The Holy See has made clear in numerous statements and acts since the groundbreaking Second Vatican Council some 40 years ago, that religious freedom is the cornerstone of human rights and is to be enjoyed not just by Catholics, but by all human beings, regardless of their faith. Pope Benedict's attention to the issue has also impacted Christian-Muslim relations, as he has expressed a desire for greater reciprocity in the relationship. -------------- - Christian - Muslim Relations: Bump in the Road -------------- - ¶8. (SBU) Pope Benedict's September 12 remarks on Islam at the University of Regensburg created a controversy that the Vatican views as a "misunderstanding." The pope clarified his remarks and later noted his profound respect for Muslims at a September 25 meeting with ambassadors from Muslim nations, called in an effort to calm tensions throughout the Islamic world. He then issued the official text of his Regensburg speech, with an explanatory footnote that calmed some of the remaining critics. While Benedict and the Vatican hope that Muslim - Christian relations can now move forward, the pontiff still believes that VATICAN 00000216 002 OF 002 inter-religious dialogue is only valuable if it can continue with mutual respect, a firm "no" to violence, and attention to the principle of reciprocity noted above. The pontiff's November trip to Turkey was and will continue to focus facially on the Orthodox church there. It will now, however, begin to illustrate where the Holy See stands with the Muslim world after Regensburg. -------------- CODEL SMITH -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Post can supply more detailed information for CODEL SMITH on any of the above subjects on request, and would be happy to amplify on any of these issues during the scheduled breakfast briefing on Monday, October 16 if desired. SANDROLINI