US embassy cable - 03VATICAN4289

C O N F I D E N T I A L  VATICAN 004289 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/WE LEVIN; NEA/RA; NEA/IPA; DRL/IRF; EUR/RUS; 
AF/RSA; AF/W; OES/S/PDAS/IHA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2013 
TAGS: IZ, PREL, VT 
SUBJECT: SANT EGIDIO CONFERENCE PROMOTES IRAQ, RELIGIOUS 
DIALOGUE, CATHOLIC-ORTHODOX RECONCILIATION, MIDDLE EAST 
PEACE, AND HIV/AIDS TREATMENT 
 
REF: A. VATICAN 3971 
     B. VATICAN 1508 (NOTAL) 
     C. VATICAN 1953 (NOTAL) 
     D. VATICAN 1137 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Brent Hardt for reasons 1.5 (b) 
and (d) 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (U) At Vatican-sanctioned NGO Sant'Egidio's annual 
conference on peace and interreligious dialogue September 7-9 
in Aachen, Germany, religious and civic leaders from around 
the world discussed and debated global and regional issues in 
which religious groups are involved and could be part of a 
solution.  In a spirited session on Iraq, an Iraqi Shiite 
theologian praised the US-led coalition for its defeat of 
Saddam and chided France and Germany for their pacifist 
views, while a Catholic bishop from Baghdad condemned the 
"dictatorship of chaos" he said had replaced Saddam's regime. 
 The highest level meeting in years between Catholic and 
Russian Orthodox representatives generated modest hopes for a 
thaw in relations between those two churches that could 
contribute to European unity.  A session on the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict generated more heat than light, 
though it offered an occasion for Israelis and Palestinians 
to sit at the same dais.   Sant'Egidio Community 
representatives highlighted the growing success of the 
community's AIDS treatment project in Africa.  Sant'Egidio's 
ability to create and cultivate contacts from varied groups 
and bring friends and adversaries to the table to talk -- 
demonstrated throughout the conference -- makes it an 
important USG partner in conflict resolution and in promoting 
inter-religious understanding and tolerance.  End summary. 
 
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Conference Draws Religious, Civic Leaders 
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2. (SBU) The lay Catholic Sant'Egidio Community, best known 
for its role in brokering an end to the Mozambican civil war 
in 1992, is now active in over 60 countries, conducting 
widespread programs to aid the poor and elderly, combat 
HIV/AIDS, and promote inter-religious dialogue and conflict 
resolution.  Since 1987, the Community has hosted yearly 
conferences of religious and other leaders aimed at promoting 
peace and interreligious dialogue in the spirit of Pope John 
Paul II's 1986 World Day of Prayer and Peace in Assisi, 
Italy.  That event, which brought together world religious 
leaders to promote the resolution of conflicts, was organized 
in part by Sant'Egidio and represented a major step in 
interreligious dialogue, as well as a bold departure for the 
Pope, who was criticized at the time by many co-religionists 
for appearing to promote religious syncretism.  Since then, 
Sant'Egidio has used the Pope's initiative as a mandate to 
continue religious dialogue for peace. 
 
3. (U) Among the 500 participants from some 70 countries at 
this year's conference were Cardinal Roger Etchegary, the 
Pope's "trouble-shooting" Cardinal who was sent to see Saddam 
Hussein on the eve of the Iraq war, Russian Orthodox 
Metropolitan Kyrill, Chief Rabbi of Israel Meir Lau, and 
Turkish Minister of State Mehmet Aydin.  In addition to key 
themes of Iraq, Middle East, Christian-Orthodox relations, 
and HIV/AIDS, the conference focused on the situation in Cote 
d'Ivoire, Muslim-Christian relations, and developments in 
Asia and Latin America.  Prepared remarks for some sessions 
can be found on the Sant'Egidio website, www.santegidio.org. 
 
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In Emotional Session on Iraq, Iraqi Shiite Praises Coalition 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
4. (U) Media and audience members jammed every nook of an 
upstairs conference room for a session on "Iraq within War 
and Peace."  Iraqi Shiite Sayed Aiad Jamal Aldin shocked the 
decidedly pacifist crowd by insisting that there were far 
worse things than war -- like living under Saddam's brutal 
dictatorship.  He thanked the coalition for all it had done 
for his people and had harsh words for "the Europeans," 
saying that if it had been up to them, the Iraqis would still 
be suffering under the previous regime.  It was easy for 
 
France and Germany "to talk about peace," he said, but they 
didn't have to live under Saddam.  Aldin said the US was in 
Iraq with the support of the Iraqi people and any resistance 
was not reflective of the will of the Iraqis.  Jamal Aldin 
noted the need to make Iraqi borders more secure, saying that 
Iraqis were paying the price as "foreigners" were crossing 
the border in large numbers to destabilize the country.  When 
asked about the current situation in Iraq, Jamal Aldin 
insisted that much of the damage one sees today had been 
inflicted on the country before the war under Saddam.  He 
encouraged greater international cooperation in Iraq, and 
said Germany and France should help with reconstruction but 
"should not interfere with the government." 
 
 
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Chaldean Bishop Laments Iraq Chaos 
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5. (SBU) Shlemon Warduni, a Chaldean Catholic Bishop in 
Baghdad, had a less sanguine view of the situation. 
Describing in emotional detail the devastation and loss of 
life that occurred during the war, he charged that Saddam's 
dictatorship had merely given way to a "dictatorship of 
chaos."  Warduni detailed a lack of medical care in Iraq, 
security concerns, and, above all, what he described as a 
deep fear on the part of the people.  "We cry, but no one 
hears us," the bishop said, adding that he was thankful to be 
in Aachen for a few days, if only to enjoy some respite from 
violence and to be able to fall asleep "without hearing 
gunfire."  Warduni's comments were not a surprise to those 
aware of the Chaldean Church's pre-war criticism of U.S. 
policies and its close relationship with the previous regime. 
 But his message struck a chord with the audience, who gave 
the bishop a warm ovation after his presentation. 
 
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A Chance for Dialogue 
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6. (SBU) Though Jamal Aldin's and Warduni's words appeared to 
offer little common ground, Iraqi Sunnite leader Ahmed M. 
Mohammed, offered an opening for dialogue.  He emphasized a 
general desire for coexistence and discussion, and noted the 
need for mutual trust between people of different faiths. 
Mohammed seemed anxious to turn the page on the war and on 
the years of dictatorship, and to focus on the necessity of 
many peoples "living together in Iraq."  The session 
highlighted the range of perspectives existing among Iraqis 
about the war and its aftermath.  Symbolically, at least, the 
conference brought these perspectives together when the two 
Muslims joined with Catholic Bishop Warduni to light the 
"peace candle" at the conference's closing ceremonies, 
creating a powerful image of reconciliation. 
 
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Treating HIV/AIDS in Africa 
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7. (U) In a session on Africa, AF PDAS Charles Snyder 
outlined the scope and implications of the HIV/AIDS crisis, 
emphasizing the links between the HIV/AIDS epidemic and 
security, democracy, and poverty.  Snyder also noted that 
HIV/AIDS could exacerbate societal ills such as prostitution, 
child trafficking and other scourges as more and more 
children are raised without parents.  Armed conflict, he 
pointed out, also fuels the epidemic by contributing to the 
sexual abuse of women, destruction of a country's health 
infrastructure, and the exhaustion of funds that could 
otherwise be spent on health care.  Snyder noted the USG's 
role as a leading contributor in the fight against AIDS, 
highlighting the President's new HIV/AIDS initiative, our 
contributions to the Global Fund, and a series of bilateral 
initiatives and assistance to affected countries encompassing 
education, prevention, and treatment. 
 
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DREAM HIV/AIDS Treatment Program 
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8. (U) Sant'Egidio's leaders emphasized that its own HIV/AIDS 
program (DREAM - Drug Resource Enhancement against AIDS in 
Mozambique), demonstrated that, contrary to the naysayers, it 
is possible to treat AIDS in Africa, rather than rely solely 
 
on prevention programs (ref a,b,c).  Relying on prevention, 
according to St. Egidio's Germano, "is effectively a death 
sentence" for those already infected.  Instead, Sant'Egidio 
combines prevention initiatives with DREAM's free 
anti-retroviral program, currently treating some 2000 
patients.  "Why shouldn't Africans have access to the same 
quality AIDS treatment programs one finds in Western Europe," 
Germano asked.  She said that Mozambicans had proven false 
assertions that Africans wouldn't have the tenacity, 
understanding or sense of time to effectively follow an 
anti-retroviral regimen.  The next step, Germano said, was to 
expand the program to other countries, something Sant'Egidio 
has already begun in Angola, Guinea-Bissau, and Tanzania, and 
intends to explore with State and HHS officials and at 
Georgetown University. 
 
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Thawing Russian Orthodox-Catholic Relations 
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9. (C) One of the most significant developments at the 
conference came on the margins with a two-hour breakfast 
meeting between Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Holy See's top 
man for ecumenical dialogue, and Russian Orthodox 
Metropolitan Kyrill, number two in the Russian Orthodox 
Church behind ailing Patriarch Alexi.  The one-on-one session 
away from the public eye -- the highest level contact between 
the Holy See and the Orthodox Church -- appears to have eased 
previous personal tensions between the two leaders.  Their 
public dialogue, however, traded traditional complaints, with 
Kyril accusing the Holy See of proselytizing while Kasper 
insisted that there was no "Vatican-sponsored movement" 
responsible for any post-communist draining of adherents from 
the Orthodox Churches.  Both Kasper and Kyrill nevertheless 
made some positive public comments on relations and indicated 
that over the long term they expected relations to improve 
(ref d). 
 
10. (C) Improvements in Orthodox-Catholic relations have 
broad implications, not just for Christian ecumenism, but for 
East-West relations in Europe.  Reconciliation between the 
Catholic and Orthodox Churches would give added meaning and 
potential political significance to the Pope's continued 
emphasis in recent months on the common Christian roots of 
Europe.  Closer ties between the Russian Orthodox church and 
the West would also have implications for relations between 
Christianity and the Muslim world. 
 
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Israel-Palestinian Dialogue 
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11. (U) Oded Ben-Hur, the Ambassador of Israel to the Holy 
See, Fr. Elias Chacour, Director of the Prophet Elias 
College, Israel, and David Rosen, President of the American 
Jewish Committee, provided constructive give-and-take on the 
common desire for peace in a session on the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Chacour, a Catholic priest 
active in regional inter-faith programs, criticized Israeli 
strategy in the conflict and the support of the religious 
right in the U.S., whose single-minded support of Israel, he 
claimed, was helping no one in the region.  Unfortunately, 
some in the audience soured the atmosphere of the session by 
interrupting speakers and making provocative remarks. 
 
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Comment: Sant Egidio a Valuable Partner 
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12. (C) Sant'Egidio has proven a valuable partner for the 
U.S. on a range of issues, encompassing conflict resolution 
in Mozambique, Liberia, Sudan, and the Great Lakes, to its 
current effort to treat AIDS in Africa.  The group's focus, 
however, is not limited to Africa, as the Aachen conference 
demonstrated.  Sant'Egidio's is effective in creating and 
cultivating high-level contacts from diverse and often 
antagonistic groups and then promoting political and 
religious dialogue.  When it comes to conflict resolution, 
Sant' Egidio benefits from being able to engage rebel groups 
that governments need to approach with more caution.  It 
works adeptly with those from different ethnic groups and 
religions and seems to gain their trust rapidly.  "They know 
we have only one interest - peace," says Sant'Egidio Director 
of International Cooperation Claudio Betti.  Of course, the 
 
group's informal approach and strategies may sometimes need 
supervision.  AF PDAS Snyder notes that during the Liberia 
negotiations the USG had to contact Sant'Egidio once or twice 
to better coordinate their efforts with U.S. engagement. 
Likewise, in regard to Uganda, Snyder said, AF needed to look 
more closely at whom Sant' Egidio was talking to on the rebel 
side to see if such engagement would be helpful.  With proper 
cooperation and communication, which Sant'Egidio welcomes and 
has pursued in recent meetings in the Department, we believe 
expanded linkages with the Sant'Egidio community can benefit 
U.S. efforts to resolve conflicts, combat HIV/AIDS, and 
promote religious tolerance.  We note that on the heels of 
the Aachen conference, Sant'Egidio's Claudio Betti traveled 
to the U.S. September 16-19 (ref a) to review with State, 
HHS, and AID officials prospects for funding for the DREAM 
program, and its expansion, while also engaging various 
Department offices to discuss human rights, religious 
freedom, and Sant'Egidio's potential role in key conflict 
areas. 
 
13. (U) Minimize considered. 
 
NICHOLSON 
 
 
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 2003VATICA04289 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL