VATICAN LOOKS AHEAD AFTER REGENSBURG

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 VATICAN 000232

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DEPT FOR EUR/WE LARREA; DRL/IRF HEWETT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2031
TAGS: PTER SOCI PHUM KIRF VT
SUBJECT: VATICAN LOOKS AHEAD AFTER REGENSBURG

REF: A. VATICAN 201, ET AL.


B. VATICAN 206

C. VATICAN 207

D. VATICAN 204 ET AL.

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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) With some lingering reverberations from the Muslim
world, the dust has settled in the Vatican following the
controversial speech by Pope Benedict XVI in Regensburg, Germany
on September 12. As the Holy See takes stock of what happened,
this cable seeks to answer the key questions on Regensburg with
the perspective of several weeks' time.




2. (C) When he took the podium in Regensburg, Benedict did not
envisage the extent of the firestorm that was about to erupt in
the Muslim world, but he firmly intended to engage Islam and
challenge Muslims on the issue of religiously-inspired violence.
In the end, many Vatican officials have told us they are
pleased that the pope put the issue squarely on the table. The
pope never apologized for using the offending quotation, and
even as he made several gestures of reconciliation to Muslims
after the speech, he stood by his message. Benedict's speech to
a special convocation of ambassadors from Muslim countries
following Regensburg wasn't backtracking; it emphasized the
continuity of Catholic thought on Islam since the Second Vatican
Council, and sought to underscore the current pontiff's
continuity with John Paul II. The pope quoted some of his
predecessor's toughest words on the need for reciprocity from
the Muslim world on religious freedom and violence - not a
common theme for John Paul. Benedict is not likely to change
course from his own emphasis on reciprocity, and is unlikely to
rely more on policy advisors in the wake of Regensburg, though
he will surely seek to avoid flare-ups of this magnitude. A
lingering question at the Vatican regards leadership on
religious dialogue issues within the Vatican Curia. Meanwhile,
Pope Benedict will face his first big post-Regensburg test when
he travels to Turkey at the end of November. A trip that was
meant to focus primarily on Catholic-Orthodox relations has seen
its subtext become the headline. End Summary.



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What did the Pope Intend?

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3. (C) As Post has reported previously, Benedict XVI has been
taking a harder line towards Islam than his predecessor did,
emphasizing reciprocity between the Islamic world and the West
on religious freedom issues, and a zero-tolerance attitude
towards religiously-inspired violence. In this sense,
Regensburg didn't come out of the blue. The pope's speech
focused first of all on Europe, and was a call to dialogue
between the West and Islam. But Benedict also meant to be
provocative with the offending quote - challenging the Islamic
world to face the violence that is invoked in its name.




4. (C) While he wanted to stimulate debate and reaction, the
pope certainly did not intend to spark the violence that ensued.
As one top official in the Holy See's MFA equivalent told us,
"If he had thought ahead of time that the reaction was going to
be like this, I would like to think we would have gotten a
warning so we could have been ready for it." Further, no pope
wants to go to the extraordinary steps Benedict took after the
event to calm the storm. Papal statements after the fact were
more conciliatory than is customary. Benedict's convocation of
ambassadors from Muslim countries, and subsequent publication of
the Regensburg text with an explanatory footnote were also
unusual moves.




5. (C) Still, in order to understand the Vatican's mindset
and the way top officials see the way ahead, one cannot lose
sight of the fact that the pope never actually apologized.

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Further, while he distanced himself from the offending
quotation, he did not retract it. As noted previously (ref c),
Benedict's speech to Muslim ambassadors emphasized the
continuity of Catholic thought on Islam since the Second Vatican
Council, and sought to emphasize his continuity with John Paul
II. Indeed, the pope quoted some of his predecessor's toughest
words on reciprocity - a brilliant move, given that some of his
critics were comparing him unfavorably with John Paul in his
tougher stance on Islam. With the dust mostly settled now (a
few reports of criticism and violence in the Muslim world
continue to surface, including a recent attempt by "Islamic
extremists" to hack into the Vatican website),some Vatican
officials still criticize the Regensburg speech. Many, however,
are pleased that Benedict put the issue squarely on the table.
One top official told us that in the end he saw it as
"providential" that the pope had "put his finger right on these
significant issues." From the working level to the upper
echelons, many officials stand squarely behind Benedict's belief
that dialogue is meaningless without straight talk - and this,
they say, was a good example of straight talk. As one prominent
cardinal told the Ambassador, the pope "may not have envisioned
exactly what would happen after the speech, but there are a lot
of people around here who are glad that he said what he said."
Others have opined that the violence reaction from some Muslims
proved the very point the pope was making (see also ref b).



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Will Regensburg Change the Way Benedict Operates?

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6. (C) After Regensburg, some in the Vatican have called for
the pope to rely more on his advisors to clear and edit his
speeches. It is unlikely that he will do so. Sources tell us
that several people close to the pope had seen the Regensburg
speech before the pope delivered it, and some foresaw problems.
But the people who saw the speech were not really clearing it
for content. This pope doesn't have anyone close to him in that
role, and the Vatican bureaucracy doesn't make it easy for
someone outside the inner circle, however knowledgeable, to flag
potential trouble. It seems that no one approached the pope
directly and told him that the quotation could create an issue.
Former Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls would likely
have done so with John Paul, but his successor, Fr. Federico
Lombardi, doesn't see that as his role. Even after Regensburg,
it is unclear if anyone close to the pope will take on a more
aggressive role on substantive matters. It remains to be seen
if someone like new FM equivalent Dominique Mamberti can break
into the inner circle and take on such a role.




7. (C) Others have commented after Regensburg that the pope
should rely more on the trained diplomats within the Vatican
Curia. The Holy See MFA (Secretariat of State),the domain of
graduates of the Pontifical Diplomatic Academy, has
traditionally been the body to advise the pope on international
diplomacy and sensibilities. Under Benedict, however, it has
lost some status. John Paul II had relied heavily on the
Secretariat of State, and several of his recent predecessors

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were Vatican diplomats before becoming pope. Benedict XVI comes
from the theological, rather than diplomatic wing of the
Vatican, and his new Secretary of State, in a break with
tradition, is also a non-diplomat. There are some rumors that
Sostituto (the de facto number three at the Vatican) Archbishop
Leonardo Sandri may also be on his way out, to be replaced by
another non-diplomat. Whether he stays or goes, the rumors are
indicative of the current climate in which Benedict has shown a
preference for less reliance on Vatican diplomats. Comments
from some of our diplomatic contacts at the MFA have made clear
that they feel somewhat frozen out in the current papacy.



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What's Next for the Vatican and Muslims?

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8. (C) Current Vatican inter-religious dialogue chief Cardinal
Paul Poupard told the Ambassador recently he was optimistic

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about continuing relations with Islam. While not blaming the
media for the controversy, he made it clear that he thought the
situation on the ground was not as bad as it was portrayed in
the press. He noted that every one of the ambassadors invited
to the September 25 papal gathering had attended the event -
even those not resident in Rome. Further, the Muslim envoys
seemed pleased by the pope's initiative and the outcome, waiting
in line to have their pictures taken with the pontiff. One of
them even claimed to have been the originator of the idea to
hold the meeting, Poupard said. In response to the Ambassador's
question, Poupard noted that the mechanisms for dialogue had
continued to function as normal, and in fact had ramped up
somewhat since Regensburg. He outlined several other
initiatives he said would invigorate Muslim-Christian relations
in the wake of the controversy.




9. (C) But the feeling among some Muslim ambassadors - and
some Vatican officials -- is that the 76-year-old Poupard is not
up to giving this dicastery (department) the shot in the arm it
needs. If his role is to challenge Islam, rather than to coddle
it (as some would accuse his predecessor Michael Fitzgerald of
having done),vigorous leadership is needed. Even the doves at
the Vatican and envoys from Muslim nations would agree that some
spark is needed to retool the dicastery and provide direction to
Vatican policy at the working levels. Ambassador of Morocco Ali
Achour, for example, told Ambassador Rooney that after
Regensburg "there was no one for me to call - no point of
contact where I could work things through." Even with certainty
in his own mind on his policies, Pope Benedict needs support
from below to carry them through.



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Comment

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10. (C) Benedict may truly regret the reaction of the Muslim
world to his speech, and he has certainly taken a good amount of
criticism from within and outside of the Catholic Church for
Regensburg. Some Catholics, particularly from the
inter-religious dialogue community, have been particularly
strong in their criticism. But the pope has made clear that he
will not back off the challenge he has posed to the Muslim world
on religious freedom and violence. With the support of much of
the Vatican Curia and others in the Catholic world, he has the
opportunity to press this agenda and further define his emerging
doctrine of reciprocity. Meanwhile, he will face his first big
post-Regensburg test when he travels to Turkey at the end of
November (ref d). A trip that was meant to focus primarily on
Catholic-Orthodox relations has seen its subtext become the
headline. Post will report further on the Turkey trip in the
coming weeks.
ROONEY