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 VATICAN 00000073 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Peter Martin, Pol/Econ Chief, Vatican, State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶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. -------------- Castillo Lara Briefs Pope -------------- ¶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. -------------- Church Background -------------- 
¶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. -------------- Anti-Chavez -------------- ¶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. -------------- Fears of Retribution -------------- ¶6. (C) The priest's criticism of Chavez has come with a price: VATICAN 00000073 002.2 OF 002 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. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶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