TURKMENISTAN: CATHOLIC CHURCH COMFORTABLE, BUT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000031 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN; DRL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KIRF TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: CATHOLIC CHURCH COMFORTABLE, BUT STILL AT IMPASSE ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Charge and poloff met with Father Andrzej Madej, the Charge at the Apostolic Nunciature, who also acts as the head of the Catholic Church, on January 6 to get an update on the church's activities and its ongoing effort to get officially registered. Father Andrzej said there has been no news regarding the registration effort, as the Vatican and the government of Turkmenistan are still at an impasse regarding the requirement that a Turkmen citizen head any religious organization here. For now, the government appears to accept the church's current activity, and the relationship is positive. END SUMMARY. IMPASSE OVER REGISTRATION: CHURCH LEADERSHIP MUST BE LOCAL ¶3. (SBU) The impasse centers largely on Vatican officials' belief that Father Andrzej should head the church here, given his papal appointment to do so, rather than a local member of the church. Turkmen government authorities, however, appear to prefer that the church be led officially by someone born and raised in Turkmenistan (NOTE: The Law on Religion only requires that the head be a Turkmenistan citizen. END NOTE.). Father Andrzej, who has been leading the church here for the past 12 years and concurrently fulfilling the duties of diplomatic representative of the Vatican, has twice requested Turkmenistan citizenship from the government, during both Niyazov's rule and Berdimuhamedov's. He has never received a response to the request. CHALLENGES OF ESTABLISHING A LOCAL CHURCH ¶4. (SBU) He noted the future possibility for a Turkmen church leader exists. A Turkmen seminarian is studying in Ukraine to become a priest, but his potential return is still seven or eight years away, and permission for his return after such a lengthy absence is uncertain. Father Andrzej said that several years ago, he invited three Missionaries of Charity nuns (Mother Theresa's order) to come and work in connection with the church. The sisters traveled from Poland to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where they waited for letters of invitation, but they did not receive them, and ended up in Kazakhstan instead. Two Turkmen girls are currently studying to be Catholic nuns abroad, but Father Andrzej said there is no confidence they will be permitted to return to work here, given the church's continued unregistered status. LOCAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS NETWORK ¶5. (SBU) Father Andrzej said the community of religious leaders, particularly from minority groups, all know each other and communicate often. They gather at least several times a year at religious roundtables organized by Western diplomatic missions. A few years ago, the Ministry of Justice (which oversees the registration process for religious groups) and the Council on Religious Affairs each hosted religious conferences, but Father Andrzej said they were likely organized in response to Western pressure to grant believers more freedom to practice their faith. He knew of no other formal gatherings sponsored by the Turkmen government. ROLE OF RELIGION IN TURKMEN SOCIETY ¶6. (SBU) Turning to the priority of faith here, he commented that the Turkmen people do not seem to espouse very strong religious beliefs in general. He theorized that this may stem from the nomadic history of the Turkmen people, and the fact that few mosques were built here as people accepted Islam. Today, he said the official Islam that the government supports also undermines the development of deeper belief. Citizens also struggle on a daily basis to survive here, leaving little time to consider faith. Sundays appear to be days filled with additional work. He said that the intense ASHGABAT 00000031 002 OF 002 intellectual, moral and cultural poverty that exists here is also a factor limiting the development of faith. ¶7. (SBU) COMMENT: The registration issue will likely continue unresolved, given both sides' views of their own requirements. The church is fortunate that it can operate comfortably under a diplomatic framework. It will be limited, however, in expanding or broadening its activity here until registration is obtained, and the rejection of the nuns is a good example of this. For now, the government appears to be accepting the church's current activity, and the relationship is positive. END COMMENT. MILES