US embassy cable - 03VATICAN3497

C O N F I D E N T I A L  VATICAN 003497 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/WE MENNUTI AND NEA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/31/2013 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, VT 
SUBJECT: TAKING THE VATICAN TO TASK ON CRITICISM OF U.S. 
POLICY TOWARD MUSLIM WORLD 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Jim Nicholson:  Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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1. (C) Following a post-Iraq war interview in which the 
Vatican's senior official for inter-religious dialogue had 
suggested the Administration's language during the Iraq war 
could have created a conviction in the Muslim world that the 
war was a war of religion, the Ambassador challenged the 
official to justify this assertion and outlined USG efforts 
to reach out to the Muslim world since September 11. 
Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, President of the Council for 
Inter-religious Dialogue, acknowledged that his statement had 
been inaccurate, but defended it as a reflection of views he 
had heard from his contacts in the Muslim world.  Fitzgerald 
welcomed U.S. initiatives to engage the Muslim world, and 
agreed on the importance of working together to overcome 
perceived divisions rather than add to them. End Summary 
 
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Setting the Record Straight on U.S.-Muslim Relations 
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2. (C) Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, President of the 
Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue -- the 
Vatican dicastry responsible for relations with the Muslim 
world -- had sharply criticized the Administration's language 
and tone in conducting the Iraq war in a late April 
interview, asserting that alleged references to God and 
messianic tones would "boost the impression in Muslim world 
that the war taking place is a war of religion."  He further 
suggested that many Christian leaders in the U.S. had "marked 
their distance from President Bush on account of the language 
he uses."  Following this interview, the Ambassador had 
written Fitzgerald requesting an opportunity to discuss the 
prelate's misperceptions. 
 
3. (C) Meeting with Fitzgerald July 22, Ambassador Nicholson 
challenged Fitzgerald's statements, pointing out that the 
President had neither invoked God's name to justify war nor 
employed messianic language that would in any way suggest 
that the Iraq war should be seen as a religious struggle.  On 
the contrary, the Ambassador pointed out that the President 
had gone out of his way to reach out to the Muslim world and 
to emphasize America's respect for the Muslim faith and 
Muslim people.  He recalled the President's post-September 11 
visit to the Washington mosque, his hosting of Iftaar 
dinners, and meetings with Muslim leaders.  He also pointed 
out that the U.S. has repeatedly acted in defense of and to 
provide liberty to Muslim populations in Kuwait, Bosnia, and 
Afghanistan and Iraq.  The Ambassador emphasized that 
statements such as this from the Holy See could be seen as an 
affirmation by extremists for their critical views of the 
U.S.  Given that the U.S. and Holy See were both seeking to 
overcome perceptions of division between the West and the 
Muslim world, the Ambassador concluded, Fitzgerald's 
statement "really sets us back." 
 
4. (C) Fitzgerald acknowledged the inaccuracy of his 
statements and the potential for misunderstanding they could 
generate.  At the same time, he expressed his strong 
objection to the U.S. characterization of Iran, Iraq, and 
North Korea as an "axis of evil," saying he did not regard 
the people of those countries as evil.  The Ambassador 
pointed out that the term referred to the oppressive 
governments of those countries, and not the people who 
suffered under them.  While begrudgingly acknowledging the 
Ambassador's point, Fitzgerald asserted that people in those 
countries nevertheless felt they were being branded as evil. 
Fitzgerald further defended his comments as reflective of 
comments he has heard from many in the Muslim world, noting 
that whether or not the perceptions reflected the reality of 
U.S. policy, they did exist.  He also noted that vituperative 
criticism of the Muslim world by leading Christian voices in 
the U.S. seen as close to the Administration had strengthened 
this perception and "damned the USG by association." 
 
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Pope's Statements Defused Religious Clash 
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5. (C) Regarding broader relations between Christians and 
Muslims, Fitzgerald indicated that the Pope's opposition to 
war actually helped minimize the perception of division 
between the Christian and Muslim faiths, making clear that 
Christianity and the West are not one and the same.  He 
believes the Pope's statements were instrumental in 
convincing many in the Muslim world that the war was not an 
 
 
attack on Islam. 
 
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Working Together to Overcome Divisions 
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6. (C) The Ambassador emphasized the U.S. commitment to 
improving relations with Muslim countries and indicated that 
he believed the U.S. and Holy See could both advance our 
shared goals by better coordinating our outreach efforts. 
The Ambassador outlined Embassy planning for a cultural event 
in the next year that would seek to bring together Christian, 
Muslim, and Jewish performers, and suggested that this could 
offer a vehicle for additional engagement.  Fitzgerald 
welcomed this initiative and agreed to consider how to expand 
Muslim participation. 
 
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Vatican-Muslim Dialogue Still Lacking Partners 
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7. (C) Turning to recent activities of Fitzgerald's Council, 
the Ambassador inquired about the status of the Holy See's 
outreach activities to the Muslim world.  Fitzgerald pointed 
out that Muslim leaders had opted out of a recent meeting in 
Damascus, leaving Christian leaders from Muslim countries to 
discuss the state of relations among themselves. 
Acknowledging his frustrations, Fitzgerald observed that 
"unfortunately the Holy See does not choose its own partners 
(who are often selected by governments and are often not 
religious leaders).  He also noted that Muslims who 
participate in dialogue with the Holy See are often 
criticized at home. On the plus side, Fitzgerald observed 
that the Holy See and its Muslim partners have been able to 
address issues that they would not have been able to talk 
about a few years ago, such as the situation of Christians in 
Muslim-majority countries.  He welcomed recent developments 
in Qatar where the Emir has expressed interest in developing 
an institute for Christian-Muslim dialogue.  Likewise in 
Asia, there will be a meeting in Subic Bay in the Philippines 
between Catholic bishops and Muslim leaders that Fitzgerald 
would attend, and which he expected would generate a healthy 
dialogue. 
 
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Comment 
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8. (C) Archbishop Fitzgerald's original comments reflect the 
unfortunate tendency among some Vatican prelates who take on 
board and pass along impressions gleaned from the European 
media without checking their facts or drawing distinctions 
between official U.S. policy and positions of other groups 
and voices within American society.  Following this 
discussion and the extensive information we provided 
Fitzgerald about U.S. outreach to the Muslim world, we expect 
he will be more circumspect in future public pronouncements 
and could be a useful ally in inter-religious initiatives. 
 
Nicholson 
 
 
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 2003VATICA03497 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL