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