US embassy cable - 05VATICAN475

UNCLAS  VATICAN 000475 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (LEVIN); EUR/PPD; INR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, VT 
SUBJECT: BENEDICT XVI: LOOKING AHEAD TO THE NEW PONTIFICATE - PART 
ONE 
 
REF: A) VATICAN 0467; B) 04 VATICAN 3196; C) VATICAN 0463; D) VATICAN 0465; E) 
 
VATICAN 0466 
 
1. (U) This cable is the first of a series previewing the 
pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI.  It examines the factors 
behind Benedict XVI's election and the implications of this 
choice for the Holy See.  Subsequent cables will examine the 
approach the new Pope is likely to take on international issues, 
his leadership style, and the dynamics of his management of the 
Curia. 
 
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Summary 
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2. (SBU) Although cardinals cannot discuss details of conclave 
voting, the brevity of the conclave that produced Pope Benedict 
XVI suggests broad agreement among the College of Cardinals as 
to what they wanted in a pope: continuity with the papacy of 
Pope John Paul II, theological orthodoxy, and an older candidate 
who would not reign as long as the late pope.  Cardinal Joseph 
Ratzinger's image as a stern doctrinal watchdog among some 
Western media did not in the end sway the cardinals, who were 
more influenced by his reassuring performance at Pope John Paul 
II's funeral and in his open and efficient direction of the 
cardinals' pre-conclave meetings. 
 
3. (SBU) In choosing the name Benedict, a patron saint of 
Europe, the new pope signaled his desire to focus sharply on the 
future of Catholicism in his home continent.  He also harkened 
back to Pope Benedict XV, who worked for peace and 
reconciliation during his 1914-1922 papacy.  Despite this 
Euro-centric focus, Benedict XVI would not have been elected 
without demonstrating interest in and attention to the 
developing world.  It was no coincidence that he granted one of 
his first audiences to bishops from Latin America, where he has 
work to do to salve some of the disappointment that a pope was 
not selected from this most Catholic of regions accounting for 
43 percent of the world's Catholics.  End Summary. 
 
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Why Elect Benedict XVI? 
----------------------- 
 
4. (SBU) The brevity of the conclave that elected Cardinal 
Joseph Ratzinger as the 265th pope suggests generally broad 
agreement among cardinals as to what the Catholic Church needs 
at this moment in history.  According to several cardinals, 
Benedict XVI was elected because he was a man of "great 
theological ability, linguistically gifted, kindly of manner, 
and of enormous pastoral and administrative experience" who will 
be "his own man and bring his own great gifts to the papacy, to 
the Church and the world."  Electors were also motivated by a 
desire for continuity with the historic pontificate of Pope John 
Paul II, theological orthodoxy, and an older candidate who would 
not reign as long as the late pope.  Such characteristics will 
allow the slow-moving Church machinery to digest the changes and 
new directions of the third longest pontificate in history, 
gradually sort out what it wants to retain or reject, and defend 
its key doctrinal priorities while positioning the church for 
the future. 
 
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Homily a Sign of Unity 
---------------------- 
 
5.  (SBU) The day before the conclave opened, Benedict XVI had 
delivered a homily to cardinals that was generally interpreted 
as a stern diatribe against ills in the Church and society.  In 
that homily he argued that secularism and anti-Catholic 
ideologies were a threat to the faith and unity of the Church, 
and warned against a "dictatorship of relativism."  In recent 
decades, Ratzinger said, the Catholic Church has been "thrown 
from one extreme to the other: from Marxism to liberalism, even 
to libertarianism; from collectivism to radical individualism; 
from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to 
syncretism, and so on.  Every day new sects arise."  Some 
observers suggested it was Ratzinger's final clarion call for 
his conservative views before he rode off to the Bavarian sunset 
of his retirement.  In fact, although those close to the new 
pope told us Pope Benedict wrote the homily himself, it may well 
have crystallized many of the points that came up in the daily 
pre-conclave meetings that followed the funeral of John Paul II. 
 These pre-conclave meetings also gave the cardinals a chance to 
evaluate Ratzinger, who ran the meetings, and, by many accounts, 
showed himself in those days to be the leader the cardinals were 
 
 
looking for.  Rather than a shout in the wind, the homily may 
well have been received as a call to action among cardinals and 
proof to them that the German could be the man to carry this 
tough message. 
 
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Ratzinger's Advantage 
--------------------- 
 
6.  (SBU) Ratzinger had one big advantage going in: in his 
23-year Vatican career, he had met with literally thousands of 
bishops and cardinals from all over the world.  Aside from his 
own travels, Ratzinger's Vatican dicastery (department) was a 
required stop for all bishops coming to Rome for their 
quinquennial visitations.  Many cardinals may have felt not only 
that they knew Ratzinger, but also that he was familiar with 
their local ecclesiastical problems.  The question for many may 
have been the extent to which the stern watchdog image of 
Ratzinger popular in the media -- and perhaps shared by some 
prelates -- would prejudice perceptions of Ratzinger as Pope. 
Even those cardinals in step with Ratzinger on the issues might 
have worried about a public relations backlash with the election 
of a pope seen as authoritarian and even repressive. 
 
7.  (SBU) Two factors helped carry Benedict through.  First, as 
some commentators have subsequently pointed out, the ogre-image 
of the German cardinal was always much stronger in the U.S., 
Canada, and parts of Western Europe than it was in the rest of 
the world.  But even there, Ratzinger was not widely known among 
average Catholics.  Elsewhere, Catholics would not likely have 
been deterred by his orthodox image:  the Church in Africa, for 
example, is often more conservative theologically than the 
Church in much of the U.S. and Europe.  Second, when given a 
world stage at Pope John Paul II's funeral, Ratzinger delivered 
with a moving, heartfelt homily that showed those who knew him 
only from the media a different side of his persona.  The 
funeral homily seems to have cemented this impression of 
compassionate, open leadership at the pre-conclave meetings, 
dispelling remaining doubts among electors. 
 
8. (SBU) It is also likely that Ratzinger benefited from the 
lack of a clear favorite among other contenders, divisions among 
regional groups from Latin America and Italy, which failed to 
unite around a candidate, and pressure to come to a quick result 
so as to avoid the appearance of division within the Church. 
There had been much speculation before the conclave about the 
possibility of a pope from the developing world, but nothing 
ever materialized.  Ratzinger may have revealed one reason for 
this a few years ago in an interview, when he noted that in 
times of crisis, the Church took refuge in its European 
identity.  While not a full-blown crisis, the Church faced a 
great challenge in choosing a leader to follow a hugely popular 
and long-serving pontiff.  Ratzinger's supporters succeeded in 
developing a sense of inevitability prior to the conclave, given 
this dynamic.  In the end he was a safe and secure - though 
hardly a bold -- choice for a cautious College uncertain about 
or unwilling to move the Church in a new direction. 
 
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What's in a Name? 
----------------- 
 
9. (SBU) As noted previously (ref a), Ratzinger's choice of a 
papal name points clearly to his hopes for a reinvigorated 
Church in Europe that recognizes its Christian roots.  St. 
Benedict is one of the patrons of Europe, and Benedictine 
monasticism was a key vehicle for the spread of Christianity on 
the continent.  In his first general audience April 27, Pope 
Benedict XVI emphasized this point, and went on to call Benedict 
a "fundamental point of reference for the unity of Europe and a 
powerful call to the irrefutable Christian roots of European 
culture and civilization." 
 
10. (SBU) Pope Benedict XVI also made reference that day to his 
World War I era predecessor, Benedict XV (1914-22), saying that 
he had also chosen the name to link himself to that "true and 
courageous prophet of peace."  Benedict XV had "struggled... 
bravely, first to avoid the drama of war, and then to limit its 
terrible consequences," according to the new pope.  "In his 
footsteps," Benedict XVI continued, "I place my ministry, in the 
service of reconciliation and harmony between peoples, 
profoundly convinced that the great good of peace is a fragile 
and precious gift to be safeguarded with everyone's 
contribution."  Benedict XV placed great emphasis on putting the 
 
 
Church in order, and was responsible for the introduction of a 
new Code of Canon Law.  He also encouraged the reinvigoration of 
missionary efforts in the third world, particularly in Asia. 
Ratzinger was clearly aware of and hopes to embrace this entire 
legacy in choosing his papal name. 
 
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A Focus on Europe, and Beyond 
----------------------------- 
 
11. (SBU) Benedict XVI's anticipated focus on Europe is no 
surprise to those who have followed his career.   He supported 
Pope John Paul II's recent and unsuccessful campaign to include 
a reference to the Christian roots of Europe in the EU 
constitution, and has often written of Europe's Christian 
heritage.  As Cardinal Ratzinger, the new pope made widely 
reported comments critical of Turkey's potential admission to 
the European Union (ref b).  Although the interview was more 
nuanced than reported, it nevertheless served as another example 
of Benedict's jealous -- and some might argue -- exclusivist 
attention to his home continent.  Despite this Eurocentric 
orientation, those close to the new pope say he also has a 
broader vision of the Church, and they expect to see Benedict 
XVI both battle secularism in the United States and other 
Western nations, while giving due attention to the developing 
world. 
 
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The Developing World 
-------------------- 
 
12. (SBU) Although some Catholics who had been expecting -- or 
at least hoping for -- a pope from Latin America or elsewhere in 
the developing world were disappointed by Benedict's election, 
the new pope made it clear during the pre-conclave meetings that 
the developing world was on his radar screen.  Among other 
gestures, he made a point of asking for detailed presentations 
on issues facing different parts of the developing world as 
cardinals pondered the future of the Church.  Reports indicate 
that Third World cardinals were heartened by this attention, and 
subsequently became more supportive of the Ratzinger candidacy. 
Comments from leaders in the developing world have been 
generally positive following Benedict's election.  Once elected, 
Benedict XVI wasted no time in addressing Latin American issues, 
meeting with members of CELAM, the Latin American Bishops 
Conference on April 28.  CELAM officials have proposed holding a 
general assembly in Rome of Latin American and Caribbean 
prelates, something that had been given initial approval by Pope 
John Paul II before his death.  Benedict's decision is still 
pending. 
 
13. (SBU) Going ahead with such a meeting could help Benedict 
establish his developing world credentials.  Other Curial 
officials have told us of their hopes for an early papal trip to 
Latin America -- perhaps to Mexico or Brazil.  Until now, 
Ratzinger's most lasting legacy in Latin America was his 
crackdown, with John Paul II, on liberation theology.  But don't 
expect Benedict to lavish attention on the developing world 
simply to spruce up his image, or as a consolation prize to 
those who wanted to see a different face in the Vatican.  An 
American monsignor who has worked with Ratzinger for several 
years told us recently that Benedict XVI will certainly pay 
attention to the Third World, but not for its public relations 
value.  "He only does something once he's convinced that 
logically it's the right thing to do," our contact insisted.  In 
this case, he sees that the developing world warrants attention. 
 With the Church in Latin America leaking believers at a steady 
rate, and various social and theological challenges facing the 
growing Church in Africa and that in Asia, Benedict will keep 
these regions on the front burner, notwithstanding his European 
concerns. 
 
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Comment 
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14.  (SBU) The generally positive reaction to the election of 
Benedict XVI by cardinals, bishops, and Vatican officials 
suggests both broad agreement over his election and a desire to 
project unity in the wake of an epochal leadership change.  In 
fact, the cardinals have flooded the media after the election to 
help shape the public image of the new pontiff.  Although no 
cardinal or Vatican official would publicly express 
disappointment over the result of the conclave, many prelates 
 
 
have gone out of their way to praise the choice, including some 
from the more liberal wing of the Church.  When one witnesses 
groups of younger clergy cheering Benedict XVI with abandon, as 
we saw at his inaugural mass, it becomes clear that the new 
pontiff has strong support of the Roman hierarchy and Rome-based 
clergy.  As he reaches out to Europe and the developing world 
and addresses the many issues facing the Church, Benedict will 
find out if this Curial backing translates into similar support 
from clergy and religious personnel -- and more critically from 
lay Catholics -- elsewhere in the world. 
 
HARDT 
 
 
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 2005VATICA00475 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED