US embassy cable - 05VATICAN477

C O N F I D E N T I A L  VATICAN 000477 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (LEVIN);DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  5/18/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PHUM, VT, CH, TW, religious freedom 
SUBJECT: POPE REACHES OUT TO CHINA 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Peter Martin, POL, Vatican, State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
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Summary 
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1.   (C) In his first formal foreign policy discourse, Pope 
Benedict XVI called for closer relations with China at a May 12 
audience for ambassadors accredited to the Holy See.  Without 
citing China directly, the new pope made a public push for a 
cause that the Vatican has been promoting for some time. 
Vatican Deputy Foreign Minister Pietro Parolin told us that the 
Holy See had appreciated messages of condolence and 
congratulations received from the Chinese during the papal 
transition, and had meant to send a signal with Benedict's 
statement.  Parolin reiterated the Vatican's willingness to cut 
ties with Taiwan as soon as Beijing made a move towards the 
establishment of formal relations with the Holy See.  He added 
that the appointment of bishops -- another traditional sticking 
point in the establishment of relations -- should not be a 
"major problem."  The Vatican-affiliated Community of 
Sant'Egidio has been meeting with Chinese interlocutors in an 
attempt to bring the two sides closer together.  Although the 
Community's relationship with the Holy See is not as tight as 
recent media reports indicate, their cooperation on this issue 
may be bringing the Holy See closer to its goal of a more formal 
relationship with China.  End Summary. 
 
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An Appeal to China and Vietnam 
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2.      (U) At a May 12 audience for COMs accredited to the Holy 
See, Pope Benedict emphasized his desire for closer relations 
with countries that currently have no formal ties to the 
Vatican. To leave a question as to which countries he meant, he 
merely cited countries that had sent condolence messages or 
delegations to Vatican City on the death of Pope John Paul II, 
which included China and Vietnam.  Benedict said he hoped to see 
such countries represented formally at the Holy See in the near 
future.  Observers took his speech to refer in particular to 
mainland China and Vietnam.  (Note: Other countries in this 
category could include Afghanistan, Brunei, Malaysia, Saudi 
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. End note). 
 
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Sending a Message 
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3.      (C) Vatican Deputy Foreign Minister equivalent Pietro 
Parolin told Charge and visiting EUR/WE Director Kathy Allegrone 
May 16 that Pope Benedict had wanted to send a message with his 
remarks to diplomats.  Although Vietnam is also on the Holy 
See's radar, China is front and center.  "We appreciated the 
messages that the Chinese sent to honor the memory of Pope John 
Paul II," Parolin said.  He noted that the Holy See had in fact 
received three messages: two from arms of the Patriotic Church, 
and one from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Parolin repeated 
what all Vatican-China watchers (and China and Taiwan) know: the 
Holy See would drop relations with Taipei immediately if Beijing 
would agree to some formal relationship.  "It would not have to 
be full diplomatic relations," Parolin emphasized; "it could 
also be an Apostolic Delegate [a papal envoy]."  Although the 
Chinese typically cite the Holy See's relations with Taiwan as a 
major obstacle to the establishment of relations, Parolin said 
the Vatican had made clear to them that the Vatican was in favor 
of the "one China policy." 
 
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Appointment of Bishops not a Major Problem 
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4.  (C) The other obstacle to an upgrade of relations is what 
Beijing fears would be "interference" in China's "internal 
affairs."  This refers to the Vatican's communication with its 
bishops and faithful, and its ability to appoint bishops. 
Parolin was confident that if Beijing had the will, the two 
sides could work something out.  "It's not a major problem," he 
said, noting that the Holy See had reached a modus vivendi with 
Vietnam regarding bishops.  The Vatican simply presents its 
episcopal candidates to the government of Vietnam, and Hanoi 
says yes or no.  "It's not ideal," Parolin admitted, "but it's a 
way to take a step forward and increase our engagement." 
 
 
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Mixed Signals 
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5.  (C) Parolin said he believed some new faces within the 
Chinese government wanted to resolve the situation with the 
Vatican, but that harder-line holdovers may still be exerting 
influence.  "We get so many mixed signals," Parolin explained. 
(Note: Another top Vatican official told us the same thing 
earlier the same day, pointing out that just as the Holy See was 
receiving kind messages from the Chinese on the papal 
transition, China was simultaneously arresting more bishops. 
End note.)  Parolin said the Holy See planned to continue 
talking informally on issues of concern, often speaking to the 
Chinese representation to the government of Italy.  "We need to 
be careful," he emphasized, noting the Vatican's desire to avoid 
provoking reprisals against Catholics in China. 
 
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Sant'Egidio's Efforts 
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6.  (C) Another channel for engagement with China is the 
Vatican-affiliated Community of Sant'Egidio, a lay Catholic 
group long active in conflict resolution and inter-religious 
dialogue.  The Community has been holding unofficial talks with 
Chinese interlocutors for over a year, addressing questions of 
religious freedom that hold the key to the Holy See-China 
relationship.  Sant'Egidio representatives have traveled to 
Beijing for confidential talks and have also met counterparts in 
Hong Kong.  Sant'Egidio's Mario Marazitti told us that contacts 
have come mainly from Chinese academic and extra-governmental 
organizations. These Chinese then seek to use their connections 
with the government to improve communication on issues important 
to the Catholic community. 
 
7.  (C) The Vatican often uses outreach by Sant'Egidio as a 
trial balloon on various issues; if the Community's efforts fail 
or come under attack, the Holy See has an easy out.  If things 
progress, Vatican diplomats can take up slightly more formal 
efforts to negotiate.  In this case, Marazitti's comments 
tracked with those of Parolin; he said he thought the Vatican 
was ready to ease into more direct contact with the Chinese. 
 
8.  (C) Contrary to many media reports, links between the Holy 
See and the Community are loose, and sometimes strained. 
Recently, a Vatican diplomat had accepted an invitation to 
attend a round table discussion at Sant'Egidio, co-sponsored by 
the Embassy and the Community.  Our Sant'Egidio contact was 
surprised that the Holy See Foreign Ministry rep was coming, and 
told us with a wink that he'd believe it when he saw it.  "They 
don't like to get too close to us," he said.  Sure enough, the 
MFA rep called the morning of the program to regret, saying that 
a delegation had dropped in and he had been called away. 
Marazitti says that the Community has felt a "new opening" for 
cooperation with the Vatican since the election of Pope 
Benedict;  the case of China may be an opportunity to test the 
theory. 
 
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Comment 
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9.      (C)  Pope Benedict included some pro-human rights and 
anti-Communist rhetoric in his speech to the COMs that might 
have made Beijing wince.  But his opening towards China could 
not have been more clear.  Benedict's choice of venue and the 
prominent placement of the references in his speech added a 
public push to the efforts underway behind the scenes for a 
breakthrough on China.  Despite this, Taiwan's Ambassador to the 
Holy See, Chou-Seng Tou, told the Charge May 17 he doubted there 
would be a breakthrough soon.  He said the Chinese are unable to 
give up control of religious affairs and would see any Vatican 
requirements for communication with bishops as too intrusive. 
Ambassador Tou is not planning on packing his bags any time 
soon.  Still, in the context of past difficulties in Holy 
See-China relations, any positive movement is noteworthy.  End 
comment. 
 
 
HARDT 
 
 
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 2005VATICA00477 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL