CUBA DEMARCHE DELIVERED

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000034 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/3/2028 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KIRF KJUS CU VT SUBJECT: CUBA DEMARCHE DELIVERED REF: STATE 26956 CLASSIFIED BY: Chris Sandrolini, DCM. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Ambassador Glendon delivered reftel demarche -- regarding the recent trip to Cuba of the Holy See's Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarciso Bertone, and his reference to Raul Castro's comments on the five Cuban spies imprisoned in the US -- to Monsignor Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's Undersecretary for Relations with States (deputy foreign minister),on March 28. Parolin took note of our concerns and said he would relay them to Cardinal Bertone. ¶2. (C) Comment: Parolin understood our concerns and appreciated the information we provided him about the five Cuban spies. He stated that the Holy See, like the US, wants freedom and democracy for Cuba, even if the Holy See is against economic sanctions because of their impact on the population at large. End comment. GLENDON