CHRISTMAS TREE FIGHT DERAILS MOLDOVAN GOVERNMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHISINAU 000034 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/UMB, DRL/IRF, AND DRL/AE E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/11/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KIRF KDEM PINR MD SUBJECT: CHRISTMAS TREE FIGHT DERAILS MOLDOVAN GOVERNMENT ECUMENICAL OUTREACH REF: A. 07 CHISINAU 1490 ¶B. 07 CHISINAU 1141 ¶C. 07 CHISINAU 955 ¶D. 07 CHISINAU 089 Classified By: CDA Kelly A. Keiderling under 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: An ecumenical outreach by the Government of Moldova (GOM),which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration planned to propose to Prime Minister Tarlev, was thwarted by the Christmas Tree fight (ref A) between the GOM and Chisinau's city government, and by an atmosphere that a distressed Moldovan diplomat called "religiously poisonous." End Summary. Moldovan Diplomat Promotes Ecumenical Reception to his Minister -------------- Q -------------- -------------- Q -------------- ¶2. (C) Gheorghe Aparece (protect),acting U.S. Desk Officer at the MFA, read the USG's 2007 International Religious Freedom Report (IRFR) as a wake-up call to his own government. He mooted to us (ref B) a plan to involve the Roman Catholic Church in Moldova as a catalyst to promote ecumenism in Moldova and reduce the regressive influence of the majority Moldovan Orthodox Church (MOC),which is subordinate to the Patriarch of Moscow. In a November 28, 2007, memo which he drafted for Foreign Minister Stratan (and shared with us--protect),Aparece noted that the 2007 IRFR criticized the privileged status of the MOC, leaving Moldovan officials without "a minimum level of plausible arguments" to make in reply. Warning that the pace of U.S. criticism of human rights in Moldova was likely to increase in the runup to 2009 elections, he proposed that the GOM begin to take an "equidistant" stance to all religions, and, at the highest possible level, host a reception for the heads of Christian confessions which celebrate Christmas on December 25. Imitating by flattery, Aparece noted that the idea of the reception came from the IRFR, which described a reception hosted by Ambassador Kirby for representatives of 21 religious organizations. (See ref D.) Aparece ruefully noted in his memo that the American event was the first such meeting in Moldova's history, and that the GOM had a duty to do something similar. Concentrate on the Roman Catholics--Small, Safe, Helpful -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Aparece also proposed in his memo that the GOM concentrate its ecumenical efforts on the Roman Catholic Church, arguing, from the international perspective, that the EU can be seen as a "Catholic Club," and that Bulgaria assisted its efforts to join the EU by appointing a Roman Catholic, Meglena Cuneva, as its chief negotiator, and organizing a Papal visit to Sofia in 2002. From the ecclesiastical perspective, Aparece argued that the Roman Catholic Church was a useful starting point for GOM religious outreach in Moldova because it was small and subject to a hierarchy interested in stable relations. (He also added that GOM proximity to the Roman Catholic Church locally would "improve the comments on freedom of religion in the country in future reports of the State Department.") Aparece further argued to his Minister that the Roman Catholic Church kept a closer watch on Islamic jihadism than did Christian Orthodox churches, implying that the Roman Catholics could be a useful source of information on that front. If No Reception, at Least Some Congratulations -------------- - ¶4. (C) Failing a GOM reception for churches which observe Christmas on December 25, Aparece urged that the GOM could at least congratulate such churches on their Feast of the Nativity, and congratulate members of other faiths, such as Jews and Lutherans, on their major holidays. Most importantly, he concluded in his memo, European integration required such approaches. Aparece noted that Stratan had responded positively to the memo. Christmas Fights Halt Goodwill Gestures -------------- ¶5. (C) In a meeting with us on January 10, Aparece ruefully noted that the Christmas tree fight between the GOM and the Chisinau City administration (ref A),and associated disputes about the dates of Christmas (the MOC observes the celebration on January 7),had so poisoned the atmosphere that FM Stratan was unwilling to forward Aparece's memo to the Prime Minister. Aparece also noted with disgust that CHISINAU 00000034 002 OF 002 television interviewers in the past week had been push-polling people on the street to give positive responses to questions regarding the January 7, as opposed to the December 25, date for Christmas. ¶6. (C) Comment: Aparece, born in 1977, is a fast-tracker at the MFA. He is also unusually sensitive to Moldova's international reputation. He seems able to push his views to, and receive a positive hearing from, the highest levels of his Ministry. He is probably moving a bit too fast for Moldova and its monopolist MOC, but he is moving, and pushing others to move, in the path that Moldova should take if its improved law on religion (ref C) and hopes for European integration, are to have any effect. End Comment. Keiderling KEIDERLING