VATICAN OFFICIALS DISCUSS GEORGIA CRISIS, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000068 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/19/2028 TAGS: PHUM PREL KIRF GG RS UP IR KZ VT SUBJECT: VATICAN OFFICIALS DISCUSS GEORGIA CRISIS, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, AND IRAN WITH VICE PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR REF: A. VATICAN 64 ¶B. VATICAN 63 VATICAN 00000068 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Julieta Valls Noyes, DCM. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On September 9, Vice Presidential Advisor Joseph Wood, accompanied by the DCM , held separate meetings with two senior Vatican officials to seek views from the Holy See on the situation between Russia and Georgia. Vatican officials raised humanitarian issues as the primary concern, followed by regional spillover; they did not agree completely on the best response. They did agree that the crisis might provide an opportunity to resume talks with Georgian officials about expanding religious freedom. The officials also discussed religious freedom issues in Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and touched briefly on Iran. END SUMMARY Humanitarian Priorities in Georgia -------------- ¶2. (C) Monsignor Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's Deputy Foreign Minister equivalent, raised the humanitarian crisis in Georgia with Wood as the Holy Father's preeminent worry (reftels). The Vatican's Representative with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) had reported to Rome many rumors that the area was being flooded with weapons and that Georgian troops (and deserters) were increasing daily. While acknowledging the sketchy nature of the reports, Parolin asked if the USG had any specific information on Georgian or Russian plans. Wood indicated that further hostilities seemed unlikely at present, but the situation bore watching. Concerns about Regional Implications of Crisis -------------- - ¶3. (C) Moscow is deeply concerned about the prospect of Georgian accession to NATO, Parolin said. Its actions in Georgia were also an obvious warning to Ukraine. The Holy See had been struck by the nastiness of Russian public statements during the crisis, and feared they demonstrated a hardening of Russia's position in the region -- fueled by Moscow's perception that it had lost global influence. The Holy See's analysts believe the Russian people support their leaders' efforts to expand Russia's zone of influence. Indeed, Parolin said, Foreign Minister Lavrov had told a senior Italian official that the Russian people would consider their leaders "traitors" if they backed down. �A;¶4. (C) Parolin supported the Italian government's muted reaction to the crisis. He repeatedly called for USG and international forbearance with Russia in the crisis, warning that a hasty or overly hostile response might provoke a terrible counter-reaction. "It is critical not to isolate Russia further." International condemnation of the Russians following the fighting had not led the Russians to draw back on the ground, and might instead have hardened Russian resolve to stand up for what they consider to be their rights. ¶5. (C) In a separate meeting, however, Monsignor Ettore Balestrero, the Holy See's Director for the UN and other international organizations, said that the Holy See is concerned that the European reaction to the crisis is so split. Banking on European energy needs, Russia has divided the Union. Like Parolin, Balestrero stated that Russian actions in Georgia raised concerns about Moscow's intentions in Ukraine. If NATO continued to seek Ukrainian membership, Russia might be tempted to split Ukraine apart. The EU's divided reaction to the Georgia crisis indicated that NATO's reaction to such a move might also be problematic. Balestrero, nevertheless, concluded that the international community should respond strongly to the situation. Opportunity for More Religious Freedom in Georgia? -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) Balestrero said religious freedom problems in Georgia were especially acute because the Orthodox Church there objected to the government's signing an agreement with the Holy See that would give the Catholic Church in Georgia a greater level of institutional recognition and operational space. Moreover, for the last five to seven years, there have been frequent attacks on Catholic cemeteries and churches in Georgia. The local police response has been lethargic. Wood suggested that the current crisis might provide an opportunity for the Church to reach out to Georgian officials. Having just been attacked by another Orthodox country, perhaps Georgian officials -- and Georgian Orthodox leaders - might concede the need for closer ties with the Holy See. Such ties could increase international scrutiny on Georgia, while improving Georgia's international image. Balestrero agreed the timing seemed ripe for a new approach to Georgia authorities. ¶7. (C) Monsignor Parolin later agreed with the assessment that a new approach by Georgian authorities to religious freedom and VATICAN 00000068 002.2 OF 002 stronger ties with the Vatican would be useful. The divisions in the Orthodox Church had been on display following the crisis, when the Patriarchs in Moscow and Tbilisi had appealed for peace - but from differing perspectives. Nevertheless, he cautioned, it was premature to conclude that a divided Orthodox Church might be more open to closer ties with the Holy See; indeed, the crisis might make Georgian officials more wary of dealing with leaders of any faith (Note: The Holy See laments internal divisions among the Orthodox, because they render more difficult the re-unification of the Catholic and Orthodox churches. End note.) Religious Freedom Issues in Kazakhstan and Ukraine -------------- -------------- ¶8. (C) Both Balestrero and Parolin raised issues of broader religious freedom in Georgia's neighborhood: -- The Holy See is increasingly concerned about the situation in Kazakhstan. Balestrero visited there July to address a series of religious freedom concerns: registration of religions, visas for religious workers, financing of church activities, and the need for official authorization of activities by members of religious orders. He noted that leaders of the mosque in Astana -- with few actual members -- now claim falsely that Islam is the sole traditional religion in Kazakhstan. Yet Kazakh officials and people had been open to Catholicism in the past, as a way of demonstrating independence from Moscow's Orthodoxy and the region's Islam. -- In Ukraine, Parolin said the Holy See is noting shifts in the Orthodox Church away from Moscow and toward the leadership of the Ecumenical Patriarch of "Constantinople." Putin, he said, sees this as another manifestation of Russia's loss of influence in the region. A Quick Word on Iran -------------- ¶9. (C) The Holy See regards Iran as "very hard to read" but sees signs that moderates are gaining influence in the government in Tehran. The Vatican is gravely concerned that Israel might attack Iran; Parolin said this would be a disaster. Parolin urged a diplomatic solution in Iran, via support for the more moderate forces. Comment -------------- ¶10. (C) Even as Europe is divided on how to respond to the crisis in Georgia, positions among Holy See officials are also not monolithic. There is consensus on the need for humanitarian aid, but the two Vatican interlocutors placed slightly different emphasis on how the international community should respond. This is significant not just as an example of the difficulty of unifying positions on Georgia, but as a possible harbinger for Vatican foreign policy. Monsignor Parolin may be moving to a new position in the next few months, and some of our interlocutors say Monsignor Balestrero is being considered seriously as his replacement. End Comment. GLENDON