Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07VATICAN11
2007-01-10 09:44:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Vatican
Cable title:  

POPE RAPS MAPUTO PROTOCOL, PLAN OF ACTION

Tags:  PREL VT 
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VZCZCXRO4037
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHSR
DE RUEHROV #0011 0100944
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 100944Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0622
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 0650
C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000011 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/10/2017
TAGS: PREL VT
SUBJECT: POPE RAPS MAPUTO PROTOCOL, PLAN OF ACTION

REF: (A) 06 STATE 185262 (B) 06 VATICAN 251

CLASSIFIED BY: Christopher Sandrolini, Charge d'affaires, EXEC,
State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000011

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/10/2017
TAGS: PREL VT
SUBJECT: POPE RAPS MAPUTO PROTOCOL, PLAN OF ACTION

REF: (A) 06 STATE 185262 (B) 06 VATICAN 251

CLASSIFIED BY: Christopher Sandrolini, Charge d'affaires, EXEC,
State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)

1. (U) Pope Benedict XVI criticized the Maputo Protocol and
related Plan of Action (reftels and septel) in his high-profile
January 8 address to diplomats accredited to the Holy See.
Addressing "attacks on life", the pope said that such attacks
"do not even spare regions with a traditional culture of
respecting life, such as Africa, where there is an attempt to
trivialize abortion surreptitiously, both through the Maputo
Protocol and through the Plan of Action adopted by the Health
Ministers of the African Union - shortly to be submitted to the
Summit of Heads of State and Heads of Government."




2. (C) We have been working with Holy See Director for African
Union (AU) issues Monsignor Ruben Dimaculangan on this issue
since receiving ref (a). Dimaculangan (who wrote the passage
above) told us January 8 that he was pleased that the comments
had made it into such a prominent papal speech. He thanked us
again for our support and said was also aware of contact on the
issue in Washington with Papal Nuncio Archbishop Sambi. As
reported previously (ref b) the Holy See is working on the issue
through their African nunciatures. Dimaculangan told us that
letters outlining the Holy See's concerns had been delivered to
all the relevant Holy See missions; he expected follow-up soon,
especially in light of the pope's remarks. He said that the
Holy See had not decided on a representative to attend the AU
summit, but guessed that Archbishop Moliner Ingles Ramiro,
nuncio to Ethiopia, would be the most likely choice.

SANDROLINI