US embassy cable - 02VATICAN76

UNCLAS VATICAN 000076 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI) 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FROM EMBASSY VATICAN/MESSAGE NO. 003/02 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: PREL, PINR, VT 
SUBJECT: ANGELO SCOLA: NEW PATRIARCH AND NOW PAPABILE? 
 
 
1.   (SBU) POPE JOHN PAUL II HAS APPOINTED A NEW PATRIARCH 
TO LEAD THE CATHOLIC ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION OF VENICE, 
ITALY. 60 YEAR OLD BISHOP ANGELO SCOLA IS ALREADY BEING 
TOUTED AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE NEXT PAPACY. VENICE HAS 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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PRODUCED THREE RECENT POPES WHO WERE PATRIARCHS PRIOR TO 
ELECTION - PIUS X, JOHN XXIII, AND JOHN PAUL I. SCOLA'S 
APPOINTMENT TO VENICE IS A SIGN OF THE PRESENT PONTIFF'S 
GREAT ESTEEM FOR THE NEW PATRIARCH. IT REPRESENTS A 
CONSOLIDATION OF THE CONSERVATIVE BLOC WITHIN THE ITALIAN 
BISHOPS CONFERENCE AND ENHANCES THE CHANCE OF AN ITALIAN 
EVENTUALLY REPLACING JOHN PAUL II. 
 
2.   (SBU) BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: ANGELO SCOLA WAS BORN 
NOVEMBER 7, 1941 IN MALGRATE, ITALY. AFTER OBTAINING A 
DEGREE IN PHILOSOPHY FROM THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF THE 
SACRED HEART IN MILAN, HE BEGAN HIS THEOLOGICAL STUDIES AT 
SEMINARIES IN SARONNO AND VENEGONO, EVENTUALLY EARNING A 
DOCTORAL DEGREE IN THEOLOGY FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF FRIBOURG 
IN SWITZERLAND. ACADEMICALLY BRILLIANT, SCOLA WAS ORDAINED A 
PRIEST ON JULY 18, 1970. HIS PRIESTLY CAREER INCLUDED 
UNIVERSITY PROFESSORSHIPS IN SWITZERLAND AND ITALY, 
CULMINATING WITH HIS APPOINTMENT IN 1995 AS RECTOR OF THE 
PONTIFICAL LATERAN UNIVERSITY IN ROME. SCOLA WAS APPOINTED 
BISHOP OF THE ITALIAN DIOCESE OF GROSETTO IN 1991, BUT 
REMAINED THERE A RELATIVELY SHORT TIME BEFORE MOVING ON TO 
THE LATERAN. HE HAS SERVED AS AN ADVISOR TO CARDINAL JOSEPH 
RATZINGER AT THE VATICAN OFFICE FOR DOCTRINAL ORTHODOXY. 
SCOLA IS COSMOPOLITAN, AFFABLE, INTELLIGENT, AND HAS A WARM 
AND FRIENDLY PERSONALITY. HE IS FIERCELY LOYAL TO POPE JOHN 
PAUL II AND THE TENETS OF CATHOLICISM BUT WITHOUT THE 
HANDICAP OF BEING A DEMAGOGUE - PREFERRING TO ENGAGE OTHERS 
BY REASON AND DIALOGUE 
 
3.   (SBU) COMMENT: SCOLA'S APPOINTMENT TO VENICE IS ANOTHER 
STEP ON WHAT APPEARS TO BE A CAREFULLY ORCHESTRATED CAREER. 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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THE FACT THAT HE IS THEOLOGICALLY AND POLITICALLY LINKED TO 
SUCH VATICAN ILLUMINATES AS SECRETARY OF STATE SODANO, 
ORTHODOXY CZAR RATZINGER, AND THE POPE'S DEPUTY FOR THE 
DIOCESE OF ROME, RUINI AUGURS WELL FOR THE CENTRISTS AT THE 
NEXT PAPAL CONCLAVE. SCOLA'S ROOTS IN THE COMMUNION AND 
LIBERATION MOVEMENT MAKE HIM A DARLING OF THE CONSERVATIVE 
SECULAR POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL. 
IN THIS TWILIGHT ERA OF JOHN PAUL II'S PONTIFICATE PATRIARCH 
SCOLA, THE POLYGLOT WITH A BRILLIANT THEOLOGICAL REPUTATION, 
WILL BE WORTH KEEPING AN EYE ON. END COMMENT. MERANTE 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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 2002VATICA00076 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED