CASTILLO LARA PRIMES POPE FOR CHAVEZ; VENEZUELAN PRIEST

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000073

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/WE LARREA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/5/2031
TAGS: KIRF PHUM SOCI VE VT
SUBJECT: CASTILLO LARA PRIMES POPE FOR CHAVEZ; VENEZUELAN PRIEST
SOUNDS OFF

REF: A) VATICAN 70; B) STATE 57503

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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) Fr. Pedro Freites, Rector of the Venezuelan College in
Rome, confirmed to us May 4 that Cardinal Castillo Lara had
briefed the pope thoroughly on President Chavez during his
recent audience (ref a). Freites was confident that the pope
had heard what he needed to hear, and said he hoped the pontiff
would deliver a stern message to Chavez during his visit to the
Vatican next week. Post had spoken at length to Freites
recently about the situation in Venezuela. He has held
positions in the Venezuelan Bishops Conference and the Latin
American Bishops Conference and has been outspoken in the media
against Chavez. He detailed for us numerous human rights
violations in Venezuela and emphasized that his quarrel with
Chavez was not simply based on his treatment of the Church, but
on his general anti-democratic tendencies. Freites claimed he
had been threatened and his family in Venezuela harassed; he
said he could no longer travel back to his homeland for fear of
the government. We cannot be sure of Freites's credibility on
all accounts, but have found him to be a useful source in
several instances. Post continues to work with the Vatican on
these issues in the run-up to the Chavez visit. End Summary.

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Castillo Lara Briefs Pope
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2. (C) Fr. Pedro Freites Romero, Rector of the Venezuelan
College in Rome, confirmed to us May 4 that Cardinal Rosalio
Castillo Lara had briefed the pope thoroughly on Chavez and the
Church's situation in Venezuela during his recent audience (ref
a). "The Holy Father is well informed," Freites said, and
indicated that he hoped the pope would deliver a stern message
to Chavez during his visit to the Vatican next week. "[Castillo
Lara] emphasized the danger of Chavez exploiting the visit for
his own ends," Freites continued, indicating that the pope
seemed to take on the points with interest. Freites told us he
had seen Castillo Lara several times during his visit to Rome.

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Church Background
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3. (SBU) Freites had spoken to us at length before the murder
of Fr. Jorge Pinango to discuss his take on the situation in
Venezuela. He has held positions within the Venezuelan Bishops
Conference and the Latin American Bishops Conference (c.v. faxed
to EUR/WE),and worked for several years at Vatican Radio in
Rome. Now he is the rector of the Venezuelan College, a
residential institution for Venezuelan priests studying in Rome.
Freites told us he had often traveled to Latin America with
Pope John Paul II.

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Anti-Chavez
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4. (C) Freites came to our attention after Vatican-based media
noted his strong anti-Chavez comments. At our recent meeting he
passed us clippings from various newspapers (e.g., El Impulso,
La Razon, El Sol, Internacional y Diplomacia, and El Nacional)
publicizing his charges against the Venezuelan president. He
also showed us documents with explicit information on human
rights violations in Venezuela, including police/government
brutality at protests and demonstrations, and prison abuses.


5. (C) Freites was adamant that Chavez's treatment of the
Church was only part of the issue. "He has no regard for
democracy and human rights - that's the problem," he said.
Freites explained that the reason the Church angle was so
important was that it was the only institution that could
challenge the anti-democratic machinations of the Chavez
government. "If he succeeds in discrediting and marginalizing
the Church, there will be no one left to stand up to him,"
Freites concluded.

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Fears of Retribution
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6. (C) The priest's criticism of Chavez has come with a price:

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he told us he had been advised not to return to Venezuela for
fear of retribution. He claimed that the government had
harassed his family back in Venezuela in various ways; at one
point someone sent a memorial bouquet of flowers in his honor to
his mother. Even in Italy, Freites told us he didn't feel safe.
He claimed that Italian intelligence services had told him some
time ago that he was being followed. The Venezuelan embassy to
the Holy See also seemed to be keeping a close eye on him.

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Comment
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7. (C) It is difficult for us to gauge Freites's credibility
on all of the points above; Embassy Caracas may have more
insight based on any knowledge of him at home. We will keep in
touch with him, however, as a source that is well connected at
the Vatican, and anxious to publicize Chavez's abuses.


8. (C) Post will continue to work with the Vatican on these
issues in the run-up to the Chavez visit. Our recent
conversations have included points on Venezuela's irresponsible
behavior on counter-terrorism (ref b) and its hopes for a seat
on the UNSC.
ROONEY