OUTREACH TO VATICAN ON UGANDA BILL CRIMINALIZING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000130 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL VT UG SUBJECT: OUTREACH TO VATICAN ON UGANDA BILL CRIMINALIZING HOMOSEXUALITY 1.(SBU) Summary: Embassy Vatican has proactively shared with senior Vatican officials USG concerns about the Uganda anti-homosexual bill, and urged them to reach out to Ugandan Catholic bishops to oppose its provisions. In response, a Vatican high-level official confirmed that the Catholic Church is against the criminalization of homosexuality, even though it considers homosexual acts a moral sin. A challenge for the Vatican is to make sure that bishops, other clergy, and Catholics in cultures with strong prejudices against LGBT persons understand that the Church condemns homosexual acts but upholds the freedom of individuals to make their own moral choices about their sexuality. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Embassy Vatican has actively lobbied Holy See officials to take a stand against pending legislation in Uganda that would criminalize homosexuality and in extreme cases, even punish it with death (reftel). On December 11, after the Ambassador raised USG concerns, Cardinal Antonelli Ennio, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, reaffirmed the Church's position that legal approaches to homosexuality are inappropriate. Antonelli admitted that he had not followed the Uganda controversy closely, but agreed that Catholic bishops there or anywhere should not/not support the criminalization of homosexuality. The Ambassador urged the Cardinal to make sure bishops in Uganda understood this. Embassy poloff followed up with the Cardinal, providing information about the bill and USG concerns about it. ¶3. (SBU) On December 8, DCM met with Monsignor Peter Wells, Assessor in the Vatican Secretariat of State's Section for General Affairs (NSC equivalent) and raised these issues. Monsignor Wells expressed the Vatican's view that the Church considers homosexuality sinful but does not believe it should be criminalized. Moreover, the Church is opposed to the death penalty. ¶4. (SBU) Post has also shared USG concerns with officials at the Vatican's equivalent to the Foreign Ministry, including Archbishop Luigi Travaglino, who covers Uganda; Monsignor Paolo Gualtieri, VATICAN 00000130 002 OF 002 who covers the U.S.; and Monsignor Christophe El-Kassis, who manages human rights. Embassy also reached out to Monsignor Anthony Frontiero, at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (a Vatican think tank). ¶5. (SBU) Comment: The Vatican likely will not want bishops in Uganda to support the criminalization of homosexuality, so Embassy efforts may well translate into Vatican officials communicating with bishops in Uganda to reaffirm the Church teaching that homosexuality is a personal moral decision, which should not be penalized in any way by judicial authorities. The Vatican, however, likely will shy away from instructing the bishops directly to denounce the bill, as bishops everywhere are given a lot of leeway in deciding how to conduct pastoral work in their own dioceses. Embassy Kampala may want to reach out to the Holy See's Nuncio and to the President of the Ugandan Conference of Catholic Bishops to further underline USG concerns. End comment. DIAZ