US embassy cable - 01VATICAN1419

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 001419 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/SCE (WETZEL), EUR/WE (VAN CLEVE), 
EUR/BI; PD/ECA (SEXTON) 
 
EMBASSY VATICAN/MESSAGE NO.-39/01 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL. 03/13/11 
 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, PGOV, BH, PHUM, PGOV, BH, VT, VTPREL 
SUBJECT: HOLY SEE SEEKS UNDERSTANDING ON MANAGING 
MOSTAR BISHOP 
 
CLASSIFIED BY A/DCM GEORGE H. FROWICK FOR 
REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
REF (A) HOH/FROWICK EMAILS; (B) SARAJEVO 1096 AND 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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PREVIOUS; (C) STATE 43081; (D) FROWICK/SJOHNSON 
EMAILS 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  THE HOLY SEE DOES NOT SHARE THE 
POLITICAL VIEWS OF THE BISHOP OF MOSTAR AND OTHER 
CROAT-NATIONALIST CLERGY IN B-H AND IT IS DOING THE 
UTMOST WITHIN THE TRADITIONAL LIMITS OF THE CHURCH 
TO CHANGE THEIR POLITICAL BEHAVIOR.  OUR 
INTERLOCUTORS BELIEVE THE CLERGY'S VALID CONCERNS ON 
BEHALF OF THEIR FLOCK WERE REFLECTED IN MARCH 2 
LETTER CARDINAL PULJIC SENT PRESIDENT BUSH.  FOR 
NOW, THE HOLY SEE'S EFFORTS TO EFFECT CHANGE IN THE 
HERZEGOVINIAN CLERGY ARE FOCUSED ON THE NUNCIO IN 
SARAJEVO.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C)  A/DCM FOLLOWED UP ON REF A EXCHANGE IN A 
3/9 MEETING WITH VATICAN BALKANS DIRECTOR MSGR. 
JOSEPH MARINO.  IN THAT CONVERSATION, MARINO SAID 
THAT HE HAD ALREADY HEARD ON THE ISSUE OF THE BISHOP 
OF MOSTAR FROM SRSG JACQUES KLEIN 3/5.  FRENCH AMB. 
TO THE HOLY SEE DEJAMMET ALSO CALLED 2/8.  MARINO 
SAID THIS WAS CLEARLY HIS "ISSUE DU JOUR" AND THAT 
HE HAD PREPARED A PAPER FOR FM TAURAN UPON THE 
LATTER'S RETURN FROM IRAN.  MARINO TOOK A/DCM'S 
POINT THAT BISHOP PERIC HAD OVERSTEPPED IN CALLING 
FOR A UNILATERAL REVISION OF DAYTON AND IN PUBLICLY 
SUPPORTING CONVICTED WAR CRIMINALS, BUT HE OPINED 
THAT THE CROATS HAVE BEEN SAYING FOR MANY MONTHS 
THAT THEIR LEGITIMATE INTERESTS HAVE BEEN LARGELY 
IGNORED BY THE I/C.  WHEN A/DCM PRESSED FOR THE HOLY 
SEE TO DO SOMETHING TO REIN-IN THE BISHOP, MARINO 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        VATICA  01419  01 OF 02  131649Z 
EXPLAINED THAT THERE WAS VERY LITTLE THE HOLY SEE 
COULD DO OTHER THAN PULL THE BISHOP ASIDE FOR A 
QUIET TALK (NOTE: SEE PARAS 5-6 FOR FURTHER 
BACKGROUND ON THE LIMITS FACED BY THE HOLY SEE IN 
DEALING WITH POLITICAL MATTERS INSIDE THE CHURCH. 
FYI: TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, NEITHER PERIC NOR 
PULJIC ARE FRANCISCAN; WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE 
FRANCISCANS REPRESENT YET ANOTHER OBSTACLE TO INTER- 
COMMUNAL RECONCILIATION IN B-H. END NOTE.) 
 
3.  (C) A/DCM FOLLOWED UP REF C INSTRUCTION ON 2/13, 
MEETING AGAIN WITH MSGR. MARINO.  AFTER HEARING THE 
TALKING POINTS, MARINO ASSURED US THAT THE VATICAN 
HAS HEARD THE SAME MESSAGE FROM A NUMBER OF SOURCES 
AND THAT IT WILL DO EVERYTHING IN ITS POWER TO TRY 
TO CHANGE THE HERZEGOVINA CLERGY'S BEHAVIOR.  HE 
POINTED OUT THAT THE HOLY SEE IS ON RECORD 
SUPPORTING A DEMOCRATIC AND MULTIETHNIC B-H, AND 
THAT THIS POSITION HAS NOT CHANGED.  HE SAID THAT 
THE NUNCIO IS ACTIVELY ENGAGED UNDER INSTRUCTION 
FROM THE HOLY SEE, HAS ALREADY SPOKEN WITH CARDINAL 
PULJIC, AND WILL LIKELY SPEAK WITH BISHOP PERIC 
SOON.  HE NOTED THAT PULJIC HAD SENT A LETTER TO 
PRESIDENT BUSH MARCH 2, AND THOUGHT THAT A HIGH- 
LEVEL RESPONSE MIGHT BE A GOOD WAY FOR THE USG TO 
REINFORCE THE NUNCIO'S REPRESENTATIONS. 
 
4.  (C) A/DCM PRESSED ON THE POSSIBILITY OF A PUBLIC 
STATEMENT FROM THE HOLY SEE; IF NOT A DENUNCIATION 
OF THE MOSTAR BISHOP THEN AT LEAST A RESTATEMENT OF 
RELEVANT PASSAGES FROM THE PONTIFF'S NEW YEARS 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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MESSAGE SUPPORTING DEMOCRACY AND MULTIETHNIC/INTER- 
COMMUNAL SOCIETIES.  MARINO REPLIED THAT THE CHURCH 
WOULD NOT PUBLICLY DISAVOW OF ONE OF ITS OWN OVER A 
POLITICAL MATTER, RECALLING THAT DURING THE PEOPLE 
POWER REVOLUTION IN MANILA CARDINAL SIN WAS MORE 
ACTIVE THAN THE CHURCH PREFERRED.  NOR IS THE HOLY 
SEE CONTEMPLATING SENDING A HIGHER LEVEL OFFICIAL 
FROM THE SECOND SECRETARIAT (NOTE: MFA EQUIVALENT) 
TO REINFORCE THE NUNCIO'S MESSAGE.  A/DCM RECALLED 
THAT AS RECENTLY AS LAST SUNDAY THE PONTIFF 
 PUBLICLY 
CONDEMNED BASQUE TERRORISM IN VERY STRONG TERMS EVEN 
THOUGH THE BASQUE CHURCH IS NOTORIOUS FOR ITS 
SUPPORT OF BASQUE INDEPENDENCE.  MARINO RESPONDED 
THAT THERE IS A NEW BASQUE BISHOP WHO FULLY 
SUPPORTED THE PONTIFF'S STATEMENT; THE SITUATION IN 
B-H, WHILE SIMILAR, IS THUS NOT FULLY ANALOGOUS. 
 
------------------------------- 
BACKGROUND ON CHURCH DISCIPLINE 
------------------------------- 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ5767 
 
PAGE 01        VATICA  01419  02 OF 02  131649Z 
ACTION ECA-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AF-00    ACQ-00   CIAE-00  INL-00   DODE-00 
      DS-00    EUR-00   VC-00    TEDE-00  INR-00   VCE-00   DCP-01 
      NSAE-00  PC-01    SSO-00   SS-00    SNIS-00  NISC-00  DSCC-00 
      DRL-02   SAS-00     /004W 
                  ------------------D11576  131653Z /38 
O 131705Z MAR 01 
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0000 
INFO AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO 
AMEMBASSY ZAGREB 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 VATICAN 001419 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/SCE (WETZEL), EUR/WE (VAN CLEVE), 
EUR/BI; PD/ECA (SEXTON) 
 
EMBASSY VATICAN/MESSAGE NO.-39/01 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL. 03/13/11 
 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, PGOV, BH, VT 
SUBJECT: HOLY SEE SEEKS UNDERSTANDING ON MANAGING 
MOSTAR BISHOP 
 
5.  (SBU) CATHOLIC BISHOPS ENJOY A UNIQUE AUTONOMY 
WITHIN THEIR JURISDICTIONS. AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT 
FALL INTO THEOLOGICAL, MORAL OR SPIRITUAL ERROR, 
THERE IS LITTLE THE POPE AND VATICAN OFFICIALS CAN 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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DO TO CORRECT A BISHOP'S POLITICAL/POLITICAL 
INDISCRETIONS, EVEN WHEN THEY HAVE THE INCLINATION 
TO DO SO.  THE POPE IS THE SOLE JUDGE OF BISHOPS, 
BUT HAS "JURIDICAL COMPETENCE" ONLY IN SPIRITUAL OR 
ECCLESIASTICAL MATTERS.  IN THE LAST 100 YEARS, 
CATHOLIC BISHOPS HAVE HELD A VARIETY OF POLITICAL 
POSITIONS RANGING FROM NEAR-MARXIST SOCIALISM TO 
HARD-LINE FASCISM, WITHOUT BEING DISCIPLINED BY THE 
HOLY SEE.  THE POLITICAL POLICY OF POPES AND THE 
VATICAN GOVERNMENT TENDS TO BE CENTRIST, BUT IT HAS 
NEITHER THE AUTHORITY NOR, USUALLY, THE WILL TO 
PROMOTE ONE POLITICAL EXPRESSION OVER ANOTHER. 
 
6.   (SBU)  FURTHERMORE, UNDER THE PRINCIPLE KNOWN 
AS SUBSIDIARITY IT IS VATICAN POLICY NOT TO CARRY 
OUT AT A HIGHER LEVEL WHAT CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY 
ACHIEVED AT A LOWER LEVEL.  IF THE VATICAN WERE TO 
HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT DIVISIVE NATIONALISTIC REMARKS 
MADE BY AN OTHERWISE THEOLOGICALLY AND MORALLY 
FAITHFUL CATHOLIC BISHOP, IT COULD BEGIN AN 
INTERVENTION THROUGH THE LOCAL CATHOLIC HIERARCHY: A 
NEIGHBORING BISHOP, THEN A SENIOR BISHOP, THEN 
PERHAPS THE PAPAL NUNCIO. THIS APPROACH HAS WORKED 
IN THE PAST WHERE THE BISHOPS' COUNCIL IS LARGE, AND 
CONTAINS BISHOPS WITH POLITICAL VIEWS SYMPATHETIC TO 
THOSE OF THE HOLY SEE (NOTE: APPARENTLY NOT THE CASE 
IN B-H) . 
 
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COMMENT 
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                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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7.  (C)  THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN CROATIA AND B-H IS A 
FIERCELY LOYAL SUPPORTER OF THE PRESENT POPE AND OF 
THE VATICAN.  IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THE HOLY SEE WOULD 
WISH TO PUBLICLY CHASTISE A CROATIAN BISHOP, 
APPOINTED BY POPE JOHN PAUL II, FOR EXCEEDING THE 
BOUNDS OF POLITICAL PRUDENCE.  POST HAS OVER PAST 
MONTHS DISCUSSED WITH THE VATICAN AS WELL AS WITH 
OTHER CONTACTS POSSIBLE AVENUES TO TAME THE MOSTAR 
BISHOP'S MORE DESTRUCTIVE NATIONALIST IMPULSES. 
POST WOULD BE INTERESTED IN WHETHER THE BISHOPS OF 
THE CROAT BISHOPS CONFERENCE SUPPORT PERIC'S 
ACTIVITY.  FOR NOW, WE ARE SEEKING TO DEVELOP AN 
INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE (REF D) WITH THE 
SANT'EGIDIO COMMUNITY, IN LARGE PART TO TRY TO BRING 
PERIC OUT OF THE CROAT-NATIONALIST POLITICAL 
WILDERNESS. 
MERANTE 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
> 
 

 2001VATICA01419 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL