EMBASSY VATICAN CONFERENCE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF FORMAL

UNCLAS VATICAN 000016 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KDEM PHUM PREL KPAO KIRF SOCI VT SUBJECT: EMBASSY VATICAN CONFERENCE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF FORMAL DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH THE HOLY SEE ¶1. (U) In honor of the 25th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations with the Holy See, Embassy Vatican convened an international conference on the American model of church-state relations on January 13, 2009. More than 200 officials, academics, diplomats, and students seized the opportunity to examine the success of the American system in enabling many religions to not only co-exist peacefully but to flourish. Three noted American experts on constitutional law - Professors Richard Garnett, Philip Hamburger, and Joseph Weiler - laid out the history, and current understanding, of church-state relations in the United States. They were joined later by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and Italian Senator Marcello Pera for a roundtable discussion on similarities and differences in church-state relations between the United States and Europe. ¶2. (U) Media coverage was extensive. Ambassador Glendon conducted an on-camera interview with Rome Reports (a producer of widely distributed news programs about the Vatican),and articles about the conference appeared in L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's official newspaper, as well as in the wire services ZENIT and Catholic News Service. Both publications are picked up by other Catholic publications around the world. Embassy Vatican also used the conference as an opportunity to distribute the published proceedings of two earlier conferences commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Embassy contacts were enthusiastic about the conference, and we have received numerous requests for copies of the conference proceedings. Embassy Vatican will be publishing the proceedings as well as placing video of the event online. ¶3. (SBU) Comment: The success of the conference underlines the level of interest in Vatican circles for models of "positive" secularism that recognize the distinct roles of religion and government in the public square. The conference came at a time when the Holy See is concerned with a trend in Western Europe (particularly in Spain and on the part of European supranational institutions) to relegate religion exclusively to the private sphere. While noting that the US model is not perfect, Vatican leaders say they appreciate how American politicians feel comfortable to invoke God and faith in ways that have all but disappeared in Europe. The conference also underscored the central role of freedom of religion as the pillar upon which other freedoms are built, and as a fundamental test of governments' commitment to human rights. End comment. NOYES