US embassy cable - 01VATICAN6619

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 006619 
 
SIPDIS 
 
EMBASSY VATICAN MESSAGE 134/01 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2006 
TAGS: KNAR, PHUM, PREL, VT 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES CATHOLIC-JEWISH HISTORICAL 
COMMISSION WITH CARDINAL KKASPER 
 
REF: 01VATICAN 4258 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR JIM NICHOLSON, REASON E.O. 12958 1.5 (B,D) 
 
1.  (C)  SUMMARY:  AMBASSADOR DISCUSSED CATHOLIC-JEWISH 
DIALOGUE DURING A 12/18 COURTESY CALL ON PROPAGANDA FIDES 
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PRESIDENT CARDINAL WALTER KASPER. KASPER WAS OPTIMISTIC THAT 
A CATHOLIC-JEWISH COMMISSION OF LAY HISTORIANS WOULD BE 
RE-FORMED WITH A CLEAR MANDATE AND WOULD BE ABLE TO CONDUCT A 
SERIOUS EXAMINATION OF THE TWELVE-VOLUME WORK ON PIUS XII'S 
PAPACY, BUT NOT OF THE ARCHIVE ITSELF.  HE SAID THE FAILURE 
OF THE PREVIOUS COMMISSION DID NOT MEAN CATHOLIC-JEWISH 
DIALOGUE HAD FAILED. END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C) DURING A 12/18 COURTESY CALL ON PRESIDENT OF THE 
PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR PROMOTION OF CHRISTIAN UNITY 
(PROPAGANDA FIDES) CARDINAL WALTER KASPER, CONVERSATION 
FOCUSED ON CATHOLIC-JEWISH DIALOGUE.  (NOTE: KASPER EXPLAINED 
THAT PROPAGANDA FIDES, AS OPPOSED TO THE COMMISSION 
RESPONSIBLE FOR INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE, HAS COMPETENCY IN 
THIS AREA BECAUSE CHRISTIANS AND JEWS SHARE THE OLD 
TESTAMENT).  THE AMBASSADOR RECALLED THAT THE CATHOLIC-JEWISH 
COMMISSION LOOKING AT THE ROLE OF PIUS XII DURING WORLD WAR 
II HAD DISSOLVED IN AMID SOME ACRIMONY, AND THAT THERE WAS 
INTEREST IN THE UNITED STATES ABOUT WHETHER IT WOULD BE 
RE-FORMED.  KASPER REPLIED THAT THE FAILURE OF THE COMMISSION 
DID NOT REPRESENT THE FAILURE OF DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE 
CATHOLIC AND JEWISH FAITHS.  HE LAID THE COMMISSION'S FAILURE 
TO PERSONALITY PROBLEMS AND TO LACK OF CLARITY ON ITS MANDATE 
(WHICH THE VATICAN MAINTAINS WAS ONLY TO REVIEW THE EXISTING 
12-VOLUME HISTORY OF PIUS XII AND NOT TO EXPLORING THE 
VATICAN ARCHIVES).  HE SAID THAT FATHER GUMPEL (REFTEL) WAS 
THE VATICAN'S BEST INFORMED LIVING EXPERT ON THE PAPACY OF 
PIUS XII, AND THAT THEY HAD TURNED TO HIM TO ANSWER THE 
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE 12 VOLUMES POSED BY THE COMMISSION. 
(NOTE: KASPER'S BODY LANGUAGE INDICATED HE ALSO BELIEVED 
GUMPEL WAS PROBABLY NOT THE BEST PERSON FOR DEALING WITH 
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PAGE 03        VATICA  06619  310931Z 
MEMBERS OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY ON SENSITIVE ISSUES. END 
NOTE.) 
 
3.  (C)  KASPER WAS HOPEFUL THAT A DECISION WOULD BE TAKEN 
SOON TO BEGIN EXPLORING RE-FORMING A COMMISSION OF HIGHLY 
QUALIFIED ACADEMICS NOT DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH EITHER THE 
CATHOLIC CHURCH OR "JEWISH AGENCIES" TO EXPLORE THE TWELVE 
VOLUMES ON THE PAPACY OF PIUS XII.  HE PREFERRED A BIGGER 
INTERNATIONAL GROUP THAT COULD INCLUDE ACADEMIC EXPERTS FROM 
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.  IN RESPONSE TO THE AMBASSADOR'S QUERY, 
KASPER SAID A BODY CONSISTING OF EXPERTS FROM CATHOLIC AND 
JEWISH UNIVERSITIES COULD BE CREATED TO NOMINATE THE ACADEMIC 
EXPERTS THAT WOULD COMPRISE THE COMMISSION.   HE WOULD LOOK 
FOR MOVEMENT ON THIS ISSUE SOME TIME IN 2002.  AS FOR THE 
ARCHIVES, HE SAID THAT THE VATICAN WOULD SEEK TO SPEED UP THE 
CATALOGUING OF DOCUMENTS FROM PIUS XII'S PAPACY, BUT HE GAVE 
NO ASSURANCE THAT THEY WOULD BE ACCESSIBLE BEFORE SOME YEARS 
HAVE PASSED. 
 
4.  (C)  KASPER AVERRED THAT THE CRITICISM OF PIUS XII AS 
PRO-NAZI WAS WITHOUT FOUNDATION, AND THAT THE ARCHIVES WOULD 
EVENTUALLY BEAR THIS OUT.  THERE WAS NO SMOKING GUN.  HE 
POINTED TO THE NEAR-UNANIMOUS PRAISE FROM JEWS (INCLUDING 
GOLDA MEIR) FOR THE POPE IN THE EARLY POST-WAR YEARS, AND 
SAID IT WAS ONLY AFTER REVISIONIST HISTORIANS BEGAN 
PUBLISHING IN THE 1960S THAT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY "BECAME 
OBSESSED" WITH WHAT PIUS XII DID OR DID NOT DO DURING THE 
WAR.  KASPER, WHO HAD BEEN A CHILD IN NAZI GERMANY, RECALLED 
THAT DURING THAT TIME THE POPE, FEARING THAT OTHERS WOULD 
SUFFER REPERCUSSIONS FOR THINGS HE MIGHT SAY, COMMUNICATED 
SUBTLY BUT CLEARLY HIS OPPOSITION TO NAZISM.  KASPER SAID 
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"EVERYBODY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE MEANT."  MOREOVER, KASPER 
SAID, "THE CONVENTS ALL AROUND HERE (ROME) WERE FULL OF JEWS, 
AT GREAT RISK, EVEN THOUGH THE SS WAS IN THIS VERY BUILDING" 
(REFERRING TO THE APOSTOLIC PALACE.)  HE SAID JEWISH 
ATTITUDES TOWARD PIUS XII TOOK A NEGATIVE TURN ONLY AFTER THE 
DEBUT OF THE PLAY "THE DEPUTY" IN THE 1960S. 
 
5.  (C)  COMMENT:  CLEARLY THE VATICAN REMAINS HIGHLY 
SENSITIVE TO CRITICISM OF PIUS XII, A POPE THEY ARE ACTIVELY 
SEEKING TO CANONIZE.   KASPER  SEEMS TO US A REALIST, AND 
WILL WORK IN GOOD FAITH TO RESOLVE DIFFERENCES THAT AROSE 
OVER THE CATHOLIC-JEWISH COMMISSION.  THE ARCHIVE WILL BE A 
HARD NUT TO CRACK.  VATICAN SOURCES CONSISTENTLY TELL US THAT 
IT WILL REMAIN OFF-LIMITS UNTIL IT IS PROPERLY CATALOGUED. 
TO ARGUMENTS THAT THE USG HAS DECLASSIFIED A MILLION PAGES OF 
RELEVANT HOLOCAUST ERA DOCUMENTS, THEY RESPOND THAT THEY DID 
THAT AND MORE WHEN THE JESUITS PUBLISHED THE TWELVE VOLUME 
SERIES CULLED FROM THE PIUS XII ARCHIVE.  TO THEM, TO ASK 
MORE NOW IS UNREASONABLE. 
NICHOLSON 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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 2001VATICA06619 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL