US embassy cable - 05VATICAN544

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000544 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (JLARREA),  G/TIP (AMBASSADOR MILLER, DONNELLY) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, KCRM, KWMN, SOCI, VT 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MILLER'S VATICAN MEETINGS 
 
REF: A) VATICAN 501, B) VATICAN 510, C) ROME 3847 
 
VATICAN 00000544  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
1. (U) Summary.  During his October visit to Rome, Ambassador 
John Miller met with Holy See officials in two Pontifical 
Councils to promote Vatican engagement on trafficking in 
persons.  Ambassador Miller also attended a half-day conference 
co-sponsored by Embassy Rome and Embassy Vatican, and met with 
Sister Eugenia Bonetti's Hope Family House, and John Allen, 
Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter.  Both 
Holy See officials and NGOs emphasized the importance of 
faith-based organizations and suggested new avenues for 
cooperation in combating the global traffic in persons. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
Holy See suggests approaching bishops' conferences 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
2. (U) Monsignor Frank Dewane of the Pontifical Council for 
Justice and Peace encouraged Ambassador Miller to work through 
the global network of bishops' councils to promote anti-TIP 
programs.  Dewane suggested that Miller lobby the U.S. 
representative to the European bishops' conference to bring the 
issue onto the EU agenda.  Ambassador Miller focused on how the 
Church could address the demand side of trafficking in EU 
countries through a pastoral approach.  Dewane noted that the 
Holy See sets standards, but local action depends on country 
initiatives by bishops or diocesan priests, religious men and 
women, and lay workers.  Dewane mentioned the Conference of 
Major Superiors of Men and the Leadership Conference of Women 
Religious as possible avenues. 
 
3. (U) Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, secretary of the 
Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerants, explained that 
in contrast to Justice and Peace, Migrants and Itinerants has a 
pastoral as opposed to political focus.  Marchetto noted that in 
his dicastery's vast scope of responsibilities relating to 
"people on the move," trafficking is only one aspect, the 
illegal side of travel and immigration.  Marchetto then asked 
Miller directly why the U.S. continually presses trafficking in 
persons with his dicastery instead of general immigration 
issues.  Ambassador Miller noted that TIP is one of the most 
important of all migration issues.  Marchetto argued that it was 
the role of governments and states to propose concrete actions 
against TIP. When pressed by Ambassador Miller, Marchetto 
admitted that Migrants and Itinerants had no plans for further 
conferences or statements against trafficking in persons, though 
it did make a big stride on the issue with its recent conference. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Joining the Fight Against Modern-Day Slavery 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
4. (U) Embassy Vatican and Embassy Rome co-hosted a conference 
October 26 at the Centro Studi Americani titled Joining the 
Fight Against Modern-Day Slavery: A Seminar on Trafficking in 
Persons.  The conference brought Ambassador Miller together with 
representatives of faith-based organizations, the Italian 
government and non-governmental organizations to analyze some of 
the root causes of trafficking in persons.  Speakers included 
Counselor Bruno Brattoli, Director of the Department of Equal 
Opportunity and President of the Italian Government Committee on 
Trafficking in Persons; Sebastien Dechamps, Middle East Desk 
Officer for Caritas Internationalis; Senator Enrico Pianetta, 
President of the Human Rights Committee of the Italian Senate; 
and Isabella Orfano, of On The Road and a member of the EU 
Commission Advisory Group on Trafficking. 
 
5. (U) Sebastien Dechamps, Middle East and North Africa Desk 
Officer for Caritas Internationalis, spoke on the role of 
faith-based organizations in combating trafficking in persons. 
Dechamps pointed to the presence of faith-based organizations in 
almost every country where trafficking takes place, and 
emphasized that faith-based organizations are usually close to 
victims and other "social groups" which are part of the issue. 
He spoke about "Christian Organizations Against Trafficking in 
Women Network" or COATNET, led by Caritas Europa.  At present 
there are over 30 member organizations, the majority European 
but increasingly global.  COATNET focuses on prevention and 
awareness raising, assistance to victims and political advocacy 
work. In September, delegates from all seven regions of the 
Caritas network, held a TIP meeting and acknowledged the need to 
be more in touch with the congregations in their countries, to 
engage together on prevention, care, and reintegration. 
 
----------------- 
Hope Family House 
----------------- 
 
6. (U) The Hope Family House religious community, which has 
functioned as a shelter for survivors of trafficking since 1998, 
hosted Ambassador Miller for a working dinner.  The shelter is 
subsidized in part by the City Council of Rome, while much of 
 
VATICAN 00000544  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
its administration is provided by 2004 G/TIP Hero Sister Eugenia 
Bonetti.  Bonetti explained to Ambassador Miller the 
difficulties the sisters have encountered under Article 18 of 
Italian Anti-TIP law.  These difficulties include getting full 
assistance for victims who will not denounce their traffickers, 
keeping under-18 victims from the detention facility at Ponte 
Galleria and the forced repatriation of victims.  Bonetti also 
presented Miller with a booklet prepared by the Italian Union of 
Major Superiors, the Union of Italian Superiors General and the 
International Organization for Migration that is currently being 
used in TIP training courses for religious sisters around the 
globe. (Ref B) 
 
7. (U) The visit to Hope Family House also offered Ambassador 
Miller an opportunity to talk directly with six victims of 
trafficking (3 Nigerian, 3 Romanian) about their personal 
experiences and their interaction with the religious community. 
Ambassador Miller spent several hours with the nuns and victims 
over a family-style dinner and in quiet conversation, which 
encouraged information sharing and an increased understanding of 
the issue for all involved. 
 
-------------------------- 
National Catholic Reporter 
-------------------------- 
 
8.  (U) Vatican-watcher John Allen acknowledged the good work 
done by the USG, and offered some observations about how Post 
and G/TIP might continue to engage the Holy See on this pressing 
issue. John Allen is the Vatican correspondent for the National 
Catholic Reporter, and has reported extensively on Embassy 
Vatican programs and Holy statements addressing trafficking in 
persons. 
 
9. (U) Allen noted the untapped potential of Catholic 
organizations worldwide and encouraged further collaboration 
with Caritas Internationalis, Jesuit Relief Services, and 
individuals such as Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez who heads the 
Archdiocese of Guadalajara and is influential within Vatican 
circles. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
10. (U) Ambassador Miller's visit highlighted the role of 
faith-based organizations in combating trafficking in persons. 
Although Dewane was very positive about opportunities for 
working with the bishops' conferences, Marchetto's negative 
stance was strangely discordant with Migrants and Itinerants' 
productive June TIP conference (Ref A) that resulted in a list 
of promising concrete recommendations on the issue.  The range 
of Catholic entities engaged in anti-TIP efforts was highlighted 
in our programming with Caritas and Hope Family House.  In 
addition, interlocutors offered new avenues of approach, 
promoting future work with bishops' councils, organizations of 
men and women religious and Catholic relief agencies.  Post 
thanks Ambassador Miller and the G/TIP office for their support, 
and looks forward to future programming on the issue.  END 
COMMENT. 
SANDROLINI