RUSSIA AND THE VATICAN ESTABLISH FORMAL RELATIONS, FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 VATICAN 000126

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/4/2019
TAGS: PINR PGOV PREL KIRF RS VT
SUBJECT: RUSSIA AND THE VATICAN ESTABLISH FORMAL RELATIONS, FOR
DIFFERENT REASONS

REF: A. Vatican 100

B. Vatican 64

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CLASSIFIED BY: Julieta Valls Noyes, DCM.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(c),(d)
Summary

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1. (C) On December 3, Russian President Medvedev and Pope
Benedict XVI upgraded Russian-Holy See ties to "full" diplomatic
relations. The announcement coincides with a period of warmer
relations between the Vatican and Russian Orthodox Patriarch
Kirill (reftel) and the Holy See hopes the move will herald
stronger ecumenical relations. The Russian motivation for
upgrading relations, however, may have had more to do with
domestic politics than a desire to improve inter-Christian
understanding. Regardless of the motivation, and at least for
now, it appears unlikely the decision will make much of a
difference in either Russian-Vatican relations or
Catholic-Russian Orthodox ties. End Summary.



MEDVEDEV MEETS POPE, ANNOUNCES "FORMAL" TIES

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2. (U) Following his meeting with Pope Benedict XVI on December
3, Russian President Medvedev announced that he had signed a
decree upgrading ties with the Vatican to "full diplomatic
relations." (Note: Medvedev did not come to Rome solely to
meet with the Pope, he had a bilateral summit with the Italians
first. End Note) It is unclear what the change actually means,
as Russia has had a de facto embassy -- led formally by a
designated "Ambassador" -- to the Holy See since 1990. The
decision to open bilateral missions in Moscow and Rome came in
1989, when Mikhail Gobachev and Pope John Paul II met on the eve
of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Moreover, there also have been
several top-level bilateral meetings in the ensuing years:
then-President Putin met twice with Pope John Paul II (in 2000
and 2003) and once with Pope Benedict XVI (2007). This was
Medvedev's first meeting with the Pope.



RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR OFFERS FRANK VIEWS ON CONTEXT FOR
ANNOUNCEMENT

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3. (C) On December 1, two days before the Medvedev-Benedict
meeting, Ambassador Diaz met with Nikolay Sadchikov, the Russian
Federation's Ambassador to the Holy See. Sadchikov foreshadowed
-- but did not reveal -- the announcement on upgraded relations.
Ambassador Sadchikov, who is battling cancer and has played a
low profile on the diplomatic circuit during his treatment, also
was unusually frank in his discussion of Russian domestic
politics, how they were affecting the Russian government's
relations with the Orthodox Church, and how the relationship
affected Russian Orthodox relations with the Catholic church.




4. (C) Specifically, Sadchikov discussed internal Russian
financial projections for 2009 and 2010, saying the Russian
government believes next year is going to be much worse than
this year due to the global financial crisis. Russian
authorities are concerned about internal stability and popular
unrest in 2010. Therefore, he confided, Russian authorities are
trying to stimulate a "renaissance" of the Russian Orthodox
Church as a vehicle to create hope among ordinary Russians and
forestall instability in the coming year. Sadchikov said he
found this tactic odd given the extremely low numbers of Russian
faithful.




5. (C) Continuing with his uncharacteristic confidences,
Sadchikov directly blamed immigrants (especially Muslims from
the Caucuses) for internal government corruption in Russia and
for the growth of organized crime. He implied that this is a
pervasive view in the GOR. The Russian Ambassador said that
"250,000 of the richest Georgians live in Moscow," and that
something must be done about the immigrants in Russia.

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Sadchikov believes that Muslims only respond to force and spoke
admiringly about the Swiss decision to ban minaret construction.




6. (C) Although Sadchikov was aware of the then-imminent
decision to upgrade Russian-Vatican relations, he dismissed that
possibility. Sadchidov said there are no plans in Moscow for
the meeting the Vatican has pursued actively for years: one
between the Pope and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch. Such a
meeting "is not a priority now," according to Sadchikov, but the
Russian government would be open to a meeting between Kirill and
Benedict later (though not in Moscow). (Note: Vatican officials
have privately dismissed unsolicited offers by President
Lukashenka of Belarus to "mediate" a meeting with the Russian
Patriarch (ref. B),as have Russian-Orthodox representatives.
End note.)




7. (C) Indeed, Sadchikov confessed, he himself had
intentionally maintained a low profile at the Vatican at the
request of the now-deceased Patriarch Alexy II. (Note: The
former Patriarch, Alexy II , was unwilling to meet the Pope and
was not a supporter of ecumenical dialogue. End Note)
Sadchikov described his job as "doing basically nothing," citing
the extremely small amount of Catholics in Russia and Orthodox
suspicions about Catholic proselytizing there. Sadchikov also
disparaged the sole Catholic charity in Russia, essentially
accusing it of being a front for government corruption. He said
the tiny organization receives 100,000 euro per year from the
Russian government for "operating costs."



COMMENT: WHY NOW?

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8. (C) Comment: The decision to upgrade diplomatic relations
appears to have had very different motivations on each side. If
-- like Gorbachev twenty years earlier -- Medvedev is looking at
using organized religion to help Russia confront its many social
problems, the Pope will not let this opportunity pass him by.
Warmer Roman Catholic-Russian Orthodox dialogue allows the
Vatican and Russia to establish full diplomatic relations
without offending Russian Orthodox sensitivities or interfering
with promoting unity among all Christians -- one of the
Vatican's highest goals. In this new context, full diplomatic
relations with Russia are a no-brainer for the Vatican.




9. (C) The Russians -- or in this case, the Russian -- may have
reached the decision to upgrade relations for a different
reason. According to knowledgeable observers (a Polish diplomat
and a priest who has served in the Pontifical Council for
Christian Unity for years),Medvedev's decision had little to do
with Russian-Vatican relations and almost everything to do with
internal Russian politics. The Russian President (and his wife,
who came to Rome earlier this year to inaugurate a new Russian
Orthodox cathedral) wants to distance himself in the view of
Russian voters from the traditional Soviet atheism of his former
mentor, Putin. This is particularly true now that both men may
be competing for the Russian Presidency in 2012. At the same
time, the move to upgrade relations with the Vatican shows
Medvedev to be a more "Westernized" and modern leader outside
Russia, boosting his international credibility with little cost
domestically.




10. (C) Whatever the motives for the upgraded relations, the
reality on the ground in Rome (and probably Russia) is unlikely
to change much. Both states already had full missions in each
other's capitals that basically operated like full embassies.
The lack of a formal embassy or nunciature clearly did not make
it impossible for Russian secular leaders to see the Pope, or
vice versa. While it is possible that the semantic change in
relations could eventually ease a meeting between a Pope and a
Russian Patriarch, such a meeting is is unlikely to occur in the
near future. End Comment.




11. (C) Bio Note: Ambassador Sadchikov has served for 40 years
in Russia's diplomatic corps, and was previously the USSR's

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Counsel General to the UN. He also served as Russia's
Ambassador to Sweden. During prior contacts with Embassy
officials, the Ambassador has been circumspect about his
personal views. It may be that he opened up in his meeting with
Ambassador Diaz as a result of increased fatalism due to his
treatment for advanced cancer. If his health deteriorates
further, he may need to be replaced as Ambassador. End Bio Note
and Comment.
DIAZ