US embassy cable - 05VATICAN130

UNCLAS  VATICAN 000130 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE: LEVIN; EUR/ERA 
 
E.O. 12958 N/A 
TAGS: PREL, SOCI, VT 
SUBJECT:  ITALIAN EC MINISTER BUTTIGLIONE ADDRESSES 
SECULARISM, EU ISSUES, WITH VATICAN PRESS CORPS 
 
Ref: A) 04 Rome 4268; B) Vatican 102; C) 04 Vatican 4441 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (U) Italian Minister of European Community Policies 
Rocco Buttiglione described a rising tide of secularism in 
Europe that he claimed was ironically having a positive 
effect on ecumenical and inter-religious relations in a 
January 11 appearance before an audience of the Vatican 
press corps and others connected to the Holy See.  He said 
he had received many messages of support from Muslims, 
Jews, and Orthodox Christians in connection with the 
rejection of his nomination for a post on the European 
Commission because of comments describing homosexuality as 
a sin.  Buttiglione called for people of faith to become 
active in political life to defend orthodox positions on 
"life and family issues" such as abortion, cloning and 
marriage; he called for his allies to influence the EU, not 
turn away from it.  These issues, he suggested, should fall 
within the purview of individual EU member states rather 
than be controlled by Union-wide policies. 
 
2.  (SBU) Buttiglione expressed confidence that the 
influence of the Catholic Church in particular and religion 
in general would eventually regain a better hold on the 
public square in Europe.  Though Buttiglione and the media 
are concentrating nearly exclusively on "life and family" 
issues during these heated culture wars, the Vatican has 
maintained a broader perspective on key challenges facing 
Catholics and others in public life, an approach seen most 
recently in the Pope's address to the Vatican Diplomatic 
Corps.  End Summary. 
 
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Controversy Strengthens Inter-religious Ties 
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3.  (U) Italian Minister of European Community Policies 
Rocco Buttiglione described a rising tide of secularism 
that he claimed was having a positive effect on ecumenical 
and inter-religious relations in a January 11 appearance 
before an audience of the Vatican press corps and others 
connected to the Holy See.  The forum was organized by 
Inside the Vatican magazine and the Acton Institute, a 
U.S.-based NGO with a branch in Italy.  Buttiglione, whose 
nomination for a post on the European Commission was 
rejected after he said he regarded homosexual behavior as a 
sin (Ref A), recounted the many expressions of solidarity 
he had received during and after the EC controversy.  He 
said many Jews, Muslims and Orthodox Christians had 
contacted him and complained that he had been treated 
unfairly by the EU and in the media.  [These supporters] 
"affirmed the right of everyone to have an opinion of right 
and wrong, and good and evil," Buttiglione said.  He 
expressed the hope that what he regarded as encroaching 
secularism would aid relations between the Catholic and 
Orthodox Churches, and opined that these currents were 
helping the two groups focus on shared beliefs rather than 
those that divide them. 
 
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Activism Needed 
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4.  (U) When asked about the Catholic Church's influence on 
political life, Buttiglione said that it was crucial for 
people of faith to get involved politically on "family and 
life" issues such as cloning, abortion and marriage.  These 
issues, he suggested, should fall within the purview of 
individual EU member states rather than be controlled by 
Union-wide policies.  He expressed confidence that the 
influence of the Catholic Church in particular and religion 
in general would eventually regain a better hold on the 
public square in Europe.  The impact of these forces is 
cyclical, he maintained. 
 
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EU  Nowhere else to go 
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5.  (U) Buttiglione dismissed the idea that people of faith 
disillusioned with the EU should try to influence their 
countries to withdraw from it.  "If anyone has a right to 
be bitter [about the EU] it's me," he said.  "But where 
else is a country like Poland going to go?"  This is the 
"only Europe we have," he said.  The task is to recognize 
that this is "our moment in history;" people of faith must 
band together "to influence the EU, not escape from it." 
On the question of Turkey's membership in the EU, 
Buttiglione was hesitant, but reserved final judgment, 
 
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Atypical Conservatism? 
---------------------- 
 
7.  (SBU) Though his answers were in line with the thinking 
of the generally socially conservative audience on most 
issues, Buttiglione's opinions were sometimes at odds with 
the rigid depiction of him often seen in the media.  On 
abortion, he said that it was necessary to "rethink the 
issue" and that the solution was not simply the 
criminalization of the procedure.  "We need to recreate the 
bond between the mother and child," he insisted.  On social 
policy regarding working mothers, Buttiglione suggested 
that new policies were needed to assist mothers to be able 
to earn sufficient wages that would allow them a more 
comfortable place in the workforce even as they contended 
with the responsibilities of motherhood. 
 
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Comment: Support for Buttiglione... 
----------------------------------- 
 
8. (SBU) The day of Buttiglione's appearance, a front page 
(New York Times) story in the International Herald Tribune 
(IHT) on the Pope's address to the Vatican Diplomatic Corps 
(Ref B) noted that "the Vatican [had] rallied behind 
Buttiglione" when he ran into trouble in his European 
Commission bid.  Though the reality of the "Vatican" 
reaction is more complex, the Buttiglione controversy has 
undoubtedly influenced the Holy See's thinking, reinforcing 
its perception that Christianity is under attack in Europe 
(Ref C).  The presence of a small but sympathetic and 
energized audience at Buttiglione's recent appearance 
suggests that the political sensibilities he represents are 
not going to fade quickly, in Vatican circles and beyond. 
 
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...but Papal Attention to Other Issues Gets Short Shrift 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
9.  (SBU) Interestingly, Buttiglione focused almost 
exclusively on the "family and life issues" of cloning, 
abortion, and marriage when describing key issues facing 
the EU -- and Catholics in the public square.  Indeed, the 
IHT story on the major Papal address delivered one day 
earlier likewise focused nearly entirely on the Pontiff's 
opposition to same-sex marriage and other "family values." 
In reality, the Pope's speech spent only one paragraph out 
of some 23 on the "sanctity of marriage," placing greater 
emphasis on world hunger, challenges to world peace, and 
violations of religious freedom around the world.  It 
remains to be seen if these additional Papal priorities 
will get further traction during the current culture wars. 
End Comment. 
 
10. (U)  Embassy Rome POL and PA have cleared this cable. 
 
Nicholson 
 
 
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 2005VATICA00130 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED