US embassy cable - 04VATICAN1988

UNCLAS  VATICAN 001988 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/WE LEVIN; DRL/IRF FOR INBODEN; EAP/BCLTV JESS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CH, KIRF, PHUM, PINR, PREL, VT, VM, PGOV, SOCI, religious freedom 
SUBJECT: VATICAN DELEGATION SEES PROGRESS IN VIETNAM 
 
REF: 03 VATICAN 5352 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (SBU) Vatican representatives who visited Vietnam April 
27 - May 2 were pleased by their surprisingly cordial 
reception by Vietnamese officials.  Authorities allowed the 
delegation to visit the diocese of Xuan Loc for the first 
time, as well as Ban Me Thuot, where there were clashes in 
April between police and Montagnards.  Although the 
delegation was "closely watched" at times, it was able to 
meet with both religious personnel and laity.  The Holy See 
sees the increased access the delegation enjoyed and 
indications of a growing role for the Catholic Church in 
civil society as signs of progress, but believes more is 
needed.  End Summary. 
 
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Increased Access for Delegation and a "Cordial" Reception 
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2.  (SBU) A Vatican delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister 
Pietro Parolin visited Vietnam April 27-May 2 for an annual 
meeting with officials of the government's Office for 
Religious Affairs and came away pleased by the increased 
access allowed to previously off-limits areas of the country. 
 Vietnamese authorities allowed the delegation to visit the 
diocese of Xuan Loc for the first time, as well as Ban Me 
Thuot, where there were clashes in April between police and 
Montagnards. 
 
3.  (SBU) Luis Montemayor, Holy See Country Director for 
Vietnam, told us May 12 that the increased access came as a 
surprise.  In Hanoi, he said, the delegation had a great deal 
of freedom of movement, whereas outside of the major cities 
the group was "closely watched."  Montemayor nevertheless saw 
the simple fact that the delegation could visit outlying 
areas as progress.  The GOV had not allowed twelve previous 
Vatican delegations to visit Xuan Loc, the largest diocese in 
Vietnam, where, he said, Catholics made up some 30 percent of 
the population.  In Ban Me Thuot, the delegation met with 
laity and with nuns who work with the Montagnards, some of 
whom, Montemayor noted, are Catholics.  Speaking to the 
press, Parolin described the visit to the Ban Me Thuot 
cathedral as "particularly moving," as the delegation came 
upon a church "packed" with Catholics who had gathered there 
when word of the visit leaked out.  Montemayor summarized the 
delegation's reception by Vietnamese authorities as 
"surprisingly cordial," especially in light of last fall's 
flap over the elevation of a new cardinal for Vietnam 
(reftel). 
 
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Montagnard Killings 
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4.  (SBU) Although the delegation was well aware of reports 
of atrocities in the Ban Me Thuot area, Montemayor told us 
the group had not seen any signs of destruction there.  "Of 
course, they were hardly going to let us see anything 
sensitive," he said, but the delegation did its best to see 
what it could.  In speaking to French diplomats and others on 
his trip, Montemayor could not get a good sense of how severe 
the April violence had been.  "It's very hard to get at the 
truth," he said.  Several villages were said to be missing 
people, but total numbers were hard to ascertain.  "I'm not 
sure we'll ever know exactly what happened," Montemayor 
concluded. 
 
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Vatican Sees Progress 
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5.  (SBU) In another positive sign of GOV openness to the 
Church, Montemayor told us that some local authorities had 
recently asked orders of Catholic nuns to take up care for 
HIV/AIDS patients.  In one location, the authorities returned 
Church property that they had previously confiscated in order 
for the nuns to pursue the project.  To the Holy See, this 
represents an important step toward allowing the Church to 
take its proper place in civil society.  Parolin told the 
press that he hoped that "with increased dialogue" the 
government of Vietnam would realize that the Catholic Church 
"asks only to be able to exercise its mission freely, placing 
itself at the service of the country and its people." 
 
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Comment: "A Long Road Ahead" 
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6.  (SBU) While Deputy FM Parolin and Montemayor were upbeat 
about their reception in Vietnam and the progress in 
religious freedom they had seen there, they noted that many 
concerns remained.  Vietnamese authorities had yet to resolve 
issues relating to restrictions on the naming of bishops, the 
selection of seminary students, and the mobility of religious 
personnel.  Moreover, while the government's treatment of 
Catholics was wanting, its persecution of Protestants was 
generally worse, Montemayor pointed out.  "One cannot deny 
that progress has been made," Parolin concluded, "but there 
is still a long road ahead." 
 
NICHOLSON 
 
 
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 2004VATICA01988 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED