US embassy cable - 01VATICAN4425

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VATICAN VERBATIM

Identifier: 01VATICAN4425
Wikileaks: View 01VATICAN4425 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Vatican
Created: 2001-08-23 13:40:00
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Tags: PREL PHUM EFIN LE BU PHUM EFIN LE BU VT VTPREL
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 004425 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI), EUR/PD/PA, EUR/SCE, NEA/ARN, 
DRL/IRF (FARR) 
 
FROM EMBASSY VATICAN/MESSAGE NO. 138/01 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, EFIN, LE, BU, PHUM, EFIN, LE, BU, VT, VTPREL 
SUBJECT: VATICAN VERBATIM 
 
 
1.   THE AUGUST 11 - 24 EDITION OF NEWS AND VIEWS FROM 
VATICAN CITY. 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        VATICA  04425  01 OF 02  240614Z 
CONTENTS: 
 
- POPE URGES DEMOCRACY AND NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY FOR LEBANON 
- POPE'S FACE TO APPEAR ON VATICAN'S EURO COINAGE 
- PAPAL TRIP TO BULGARIA? 
- VATICAN RELEASES US CARDINAL'S ASSESSMENT OF MILINGO SAGA 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
PAPAL APPEAL FOR DEMOCRACY AND SOVEREIGNTY IN LEBANON 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
2.   POPE JOHN PAUL II APPEALED AUGUST 19 TO LEBANESE 
AUTHORITIES NOT TO SACRIFICE THE "VALUES OF DEMOCRACY AND 
NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY" BECAUSE OF TRANSITORY POLITICAL 
INTERESTS. RESPONDING TO THE DETENTION OF CHRISTIAN ANTI- 
SYRIAN ACTIVISTS IN LEBANON, THE PONTIFF SAID THAT A 
"PLURALISTIC AND FREE LEBANON" IS OF BENEFIT TO THE ENTIRE 
MIDDLE EAST REGION. IN A REGULAR SUNDAY ADDRESS, THE POPE 
SAID LEBANON ALREADY SUFFERED FROM INTERNAL DIVISIONS. THE 
PAPAL APPEAL FOR LEBANON WAS GIVEN FRONT-PAGE PROMINENCE IN 
THE AUGUST 20 EDITION OF THE VATICAN'S SEMI-OFFICIAL DAILY 
"L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO." THE TEXT OF THE POPE'S WORDS WAS 
FOLLOWED BY A DETAILED ASSESSMENT OF THE EVENTS SURROUNDING 
THE DETENTION OF THE CHRISTIAN ACTIVISTS. 
 
--------------------------------- 
VATICAN EUROS TO HAVE PAPAL IMAGE 
--------------------------------- 
 
3.   EURO COINS BEARING THE IMAGE OF POPE JOHN PAUL II WILL 
SOON BE USED TO PURCHASE EVERYTHING FROM A CUP OF COFFEE IN 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        VATICA  04425  01 OF 02  240614Z 
ROME TO BAKLAVA IN ATHENS OR A PINT OF GUINNESS IN DUBLIN. 
THE ITALIAN TREASURY ANNOUNCED AUGUST 17 THAT IT WILL MINT A 
SMALL QUANTITY OF EURO COINS FOR THE VATICAN BEARING THE 
IMAGE OF THE POPE. UNDER AN ACCORD WITH ITALY SIGNED EARLIER 
THIS YEAR, THE VATICAN WILL BE PERMITTED AN ANNUAL MAXIMUM 
OF EUROS 670,000 (US DOLLARS 615,000), WHICH IS ABOUT THE 
SAME MINTED UNTIL NOW IN ITALIAN LIRA. LIKE OTHER 
PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES, THE VATICAN WILL DESIGN ONE SIDE OF 
ITS EURO COINS; THE OTHER SIDE IS COMMON TO THE WHOLE EURO 
ZONE. IN THE PAST, EUROPEAN NEWSPAPERS HAVE REPORTED THAT 
AUTHORITIES IN FRANCE RESISTED VATICAN EUROS BEARING AN 
IMAGE OF THE POPE BECAUSE OF CHURCH-STATE CONCERNS. 
 
------------------------------- 
POSSIBLE PAPAL TRIP TO BULGARIA 
------------------------------- 
 
4.   COMMENTS TO THE PRESS BY THE PAPAL REPRESENTATIVE IN 
BULGARIA, ARCHBISHOP ANTONIO MENNINI, HAVE IGNITED 
SPECULATION ABOUT A 2002 VISIT TO SOFIA BY POPE JOHN PAUL 
II. SPEAKING TO JOURNALISTS AFTER A MEETING AT THE FOREIGN 
MINISTRY, MENNINI SAID BULGARIAN AUTHORITIES "ARE LOOKING 
FORWARD" TO A PAPAL VISIT. ALTHOUGH THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN 
BULGARIA HAS OBJECTED TO A PAPAL VISIT, ARCHBISHOP MENNINI 
SAID A VISIT FROM THE POPE WOULD BE "A CLEAR SIGN OF THE 
RESPECT WE HAVE FOR THE BULGARIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH." 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
VATICAN PRESS OFFICE RELEASES CARDINAL MCCARRICK'S 
ASSESSMENT OF THE MILINGO SAGA 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        VATICA  04425  01 OF 02  240614Z 
 
5.   VATICAN SPOKESMAN JOAQUIN NAVARRO-VALLS RELEASED A COPY 
AUGUST 23, OF U.S. CARDINAL THEODORE MCCARRICK'S ASSESSMENT 
OF THE SITUATION REGARDING THE "MARRIAGE" OF ZAMBIAN 
ARCHBISHOP EMMANUEL MILINGO TO A KOREAN WOMAN, MARIA SUNG. 
BEGIN TEXT: OUR HEARTS ARE TROUBLED BY THE PAIN WHICH MARIA 
SUNG UNDOUBTEDLY FEELS AT THIS DIFFICULT TIME IN HER LIFE. 
WHILE SHE MAY BELIEVE SHE IS DOING THE RIGHT THING, IN ALL 
LIKELIHOOD HER ACTIONS ARE THE RESULT OF A PROCESS OF 
PSYCHOLOGICAL PRESSURE AND UNREALISTIC REASONING. THE TRUTH 
IS THE CEREMONY THAT WAS CONDUCTED BY REVEREND MOON HAS NO 
REAL CONNECTION WITH TRUE MARRIAGE AND EVEN LESS WITH 
CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE. IT WAS BASED ON A BELIEF IN THE DIVINE 
MISSION OF MR. MOON AND NOT ON THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 
YET, IT IS THIS DIVINITY THAT GIVES THE TRUE SACRAMENTAL 
CHARACTER TO CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE. WE WHO PROFESS OUR BELIEF 
IN THE ESSENTIAL AND PERMANENT CHARACTER OF THE SACRAMENT OF 
MATRIMONY ALSO BELIEVE WITH EQUAL CONVICTION IN THE 
SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS, BY WHICH A MAN, BE HE PRIEST OR 
BISHOP, IS BOUND BY THE GRAVE BONDS OF HIS PROMISES OF 
CELIBACY AND FIDELITY THAT HE FREELY PROFESSED AT 
ORDINATION. THESE ARE VERY SERIOUS ELEMENTS OF A PRIEST'S 
VOCATION, EVEN MORE SO WHEN THAT PRIEST IS A BISHOP. THEY 
ARE NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY. THE BISHOP'S UNION WITH THE 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ0106 
 
PAGE 01        VATICA  04425  02 OF 02  240614Z 
ACTION DRL-02 
 
INFO  LOG-00   CIAE-00  DODE-00  SRPP-00  EB-00    EUR-00   UTED-00 
      VC-00    H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   L-00     AC-01    NEA-00 
      NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OMB-01   PA-00    PM-00    PRS-00   ACE-00 
      P-00     SP-00    SS-00    TRSE-00  T-00     USIE-00  SA-00 
      PMB-00   G-00     SAS-00     /005W 
                  ------------------15E3C4  240614Z /40 
R 231340Z AUG 01 
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0000 
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 
AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 VATICAN 004425 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI), EUR/PD/PA, EUR/SCE, NEA/ARN, 
DRL/IRF (FARR) 
 
FROM EMBASSY VATICAN/MESSAGE NO. 138/01 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, EFIN, LE, BU, VT 
SUBJECT: VATICAN VERBATIM 
 
CHURCH IS FITTINGLY DESCRIBED BY THE FATHERS AND THEOLOGIANS 
OF THE CHURCH AS A MARRIAGE. THUS, ANY ATTEMPT TO DESTROY 
THAT UNION IN ORDER TO SUBSTITUTE ANOTHER WOULD BE SIMILAR 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        VATICA  04425  02 OF 02  240614Z 
TO A WOMAN THREATENING SUICIDE IF THE ALREADY MARRIED MAN 
SHE WANTS TO MARRY WILL NOT LEAVE HIS LAWFUL WIFE. WE PRAY 
FOR MARIA SUNG. WE HOPE FOR HER PEACE OF MIND AND SOUL 
THROUGH WHICH SHE MAY FIND THE LORD AND HIS OWN DEEP TRUTH 
AND LOVE. WE PRAY ALSO FOR ARCHBISHOP MILINGO THAT, HAVING 
RECOVERED HIS FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE, HE MAY BE CONFIRMED IN 
HIS FAITHFULNESS TO CHRIST AND TO HIS CHURCH. END TEXT. 
MERANTE 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
> 
 

 2001VATICA04425 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED 


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