VATICAN OFFICIAL ON IRAQ AND PLANNED MEETING OF MIDDLE EAST

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000018 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/2/2030 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PREF KIRF IZ VT SUBJECT: VATICAN OFFICIAL ON IRAQ AND PLANNED MEETING OF MIDDLE EAST BISHOPS REF: A. LORENZ-NOYES JANUARY 28 EMAIL ¶B. 09 BAGHDAD 3298 CLASSIFIED BY: Rafael P. Foley, Pol Chief. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: The Vatican's Secretariat of State point person for the Middle East, Monsignor Alberto Ortega, said the bishops of Iraq had urged the Vatican to convene a special Middle East "synod" (meeting of bishops) this Fall. Although violence is down, the Vatican is concerned about the future of Iraqi Christians. Ortega said insecurity drove many Christians to emigrate and lamented there was not greater unity among Iraqi bishops to address the community's problems. Ortega was not previously aware but welcomed news of Vienna's Cardinal Schonborn's visit to Washington (ref. A). End summary. ¶2. (C) Polchief and poloff met with Monsignor Ortega on February 1 to discuss developments in the Middle East and the October 10-24, 2010 synod of bishops for the region. Ortega noted that the working outline for the synod was released on January 19 (see http://vatican.state.gov/archives/holy_land_r esidents_get_c hance.html ). Ortega said the outline -- prepared by a committee of bishops from the region -- contains strong language on foreign occupation and Islamic fundamentalism. Nevertheless, he believes these references will be toned down in the actual working document. The Pope will present the working document formally to Middle East bishops during his visit to Cyprus in June 2010. ¶3. (C) Ortega appreciated USG initiatives for religious minorities in Iraq (ref. B),but expressed concern about the security of Christians there despite the overall reduction in violence. As an example, Ortega mentioned the killing of a Christian shopkeeper in Mosul on January 11. Ortega said the GOI needs to be more responsive to the security needs of the Christian community, for example by deploying policemen to guard threatened churches. Otherwise, Iraqi Christians will continue to emigrate. At the same time, Ortega lamented the rivalries and disagreements within the Chaldean church. He said the Vatican has had to occasionally step in to urge these bishops to work together for the benefit of their communities. The theme chosen for the synod of bishops, "The Catholic Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness" underlines the importance of unity in fostering the continued presence of Christians in the region. This presence, Ortega said, is essential for interfaith tolerance and goodwill. ¶4. (C) Ortega was not aware that the Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Schornborn, was pursuing meetings with Department officials regarding Iraq. The Archbishop's ex-officio role as nominal leader of the Chaldean community in Austria may have led to the requests, as Schornborn has probably heard about the problems of Iraqi Christians from refugees in Austria. (Note: Displaced Chaldeans may follow their own eastern rites outside the Middle East, but fall under the jurisdiction of the Latin-rite hierarchy of their host country, generally the Archbishop of its largest city.) Ortega welcomed news of Schornborn's meetings in Washington. ¶5. (C) Comment: The percentage of Christians in the Middle East is very small and dropping. For the Vatican, however, their importance goes well beyond their numbers: officials here see the Middle East as a litmus test for interfaith coexistence among diverse, autochthonous communities. The Vatican recognizes the limits to proselytization in Muslim majority countries, but has not lost hope that the mere presence ("testimony") of Christians will continue to offer others the possibility to learn about Christianity. End comment. DIAZ