This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 002459 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (VAN CLEVE), EUR/SE, EUR/PD/PA, DRL/IRF, 
NEA/NGA, WHA/CAR, H 
 
DEPT. PLS PASS WHITEHOUSE 
 
FROM EMBASSY VATICAN/MESSAGE NO. 67/01 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM EFIN ECON IZ GR PHUM EFIN ECON IZ GR VTPREL
SUBJECT: THE VATICAN RAG 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        VATICA  02459  01 OF 02  052227Z 
¶1.   THE APRIL 28 - MAY 4 EDITION OF NEWS AND VIEWS FROM 
VATICAN CITY - UNDER A NEW TITLE. 
 
CONTENTS: 
 
- POPE APPEALS FOR END TO IRAQI EMBARGO 
- VATICAN STRESSES POSITIVE APPROACH TO GREECE 
- PUERTO RICAN BEATIFIED IN RECORD TIME 
- POPE SAYS WORLD LEADERS MUST CONTROL GLOBALIZATION 
 
------------------------------------- 
POPE APPEALS FOR END TO IRAQI EMBARGO 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.   (U) POPE JOHN PAUL II RENEWED HIS APPEAL FOR AN END TO 
IRAQI SANCTIONS AS HE RECEIVED THE LETTERS OF CREDENCE OF 
IRAQ'S NEW AMBASSADOR TO THE HOLY SEE, ABDUL-AMIR AL-ANBARI 
ON APRIL 28.  AFFIRMING THAT THE "INNOCENT" PEOPLE OF IRAQ 
SHOULD NOT BE BROUGHT TO BEAR THE CONSEQUENCES OF 
"DESTRUCTIVE WAR WHOSE AFFECTS ARE STILL BEING FELT BY THOSE 
WHO ARE WEAKEST AND MOST VULNERABLE," THE POPE QUOTED FROM A 
JANUARY 13 SPEECH TO THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS WHEN HE SAID THAT 
"NO AUTHORITY, NO POLITICAL PROGRAM AND NO IDEOLOGY IS 
ENTITLED TO REDUCE HUMAN BEINGS TO WHAT THEY CAN DO OR 
PRODUCE." 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
VATICAN STRESSES POSITIVE APPROACH TO GREECE 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.   (SBU) IN AN INTERVIEW WITH GREEK TELEVISION, VATICAN 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        VATICA  02459  01 OF 02  052227Z 
SPOKESMAN JOAQUIN NAVARRO-VALLS SAID THAT DURING HIS TRIP TO 
ATHENS, POPE JOHN PAUL II WILL EMPHASIZE THE FAITH THAT 
UNITES CATHOLIC AND GREEK ORTHODOX BELIEVERS, RATHER THAN 
THEIR DIFFERENCES.  SEEKING TO AVOID DISCUSSION OF GREEK 
ORTHODOX PROTESTS THAT HAVE MARRED THE TRIP'S PREPARATIONS, 
NAVARRO-VALLS HIGHLIGHTED THAT THE POPE WILL MAKE THREE 
JOINT APPEARANCES WITH THE GREEK ORTHODOX METROPOLITAN 
CHRISTODOULOS OF ATHENS, INCLUDING AN "HISTORIC" READING OF 
THE TEXT OF ST. PAUL AT THE AREOPAGUS.  ALTHOUGH THE VISIT 
IS UNLIKELY TO PRODUCE ANY "GREAT AGREEMENTS," THE SPOKESMAN 
SAID THAT THERE WAS HOPE THAT THE SYMBOLIC GESTURES BETWEEN 
THE TWO RELIGIOUS LEADERS COULD HELP TO OVERCOME SUSPICIONS 
AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS.  HE ALSO POINTED OUT THAT THE POPE 
HAS VISITED GREECE BEFORE, WHILE SERVING AS ARCHBISHOP TO 
KRAKOW. IN A HIGHLY UNUSUAL STEP, INDICATIVE OF THE 
VATICAN'S EFFORT TO MAINTAIN FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE ASPECTS 
OF THE TRIP, THE VATICAN PRESS OFFICE PUBLISHED A TRANSCRIPT 
OF THE INTERVIEW. IN A CONVERSATION WITH CHARGE ON OTHER 
ISSUES 05/04, VATICAN DFM MIGLIORE SHARED THE HOLY SEE'S 
"HURT" AT THE VITRIOL DIRECTED AT THE PERSON OF THE POPE BY 
CERTAIN RADICAL QUARTERS OF THE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH - IN 
SOME CASES DEMONIZING HIM FOR THE SCHISM OF 1054. IN 
MIGLIORE'S WORDS, THIS WAS NOT "CIVILIZED" BEHAVIOR. HE 
AVERRED HOWEVER THAT THE VISIT WOULD IN THE END BE A 
SUCCESS. 
 
------------------------------------- 
PUERTO RICAN BEATIFIED IN RECORD TIME 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.   (SBU) POPE JOHN PAUL II BEATIFIED A PUERTO RICAN LAYMAN 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        VATICA  02459  01 OF 02  052227Z 
IN AN APRIL 26 CEREMONY IN VATICAN CITY. CARLOS MANUEL 
CECILIO RODRIGUEZ SANTIAGO, WHO DIED IN 1963, IS THE FIRST 
PUERTO RICAN AND FIRST LAY AMCIT TO BE DECLARED "BLESSED." 
KNOWN AFFECTIONATELY AS "CHARLIE", RODRIGUEZ SANTIAGO WORKED 
IN THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY CENTER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF 
PUERTO RICO. HIS PROCESS OF BEATIFICATION WAS ONE OF THE 
SHORTEST IN RECENT HISTORY, LASTING ONLY NINE YEARS. (NOTE: 
THE VATICAN TREATS PUERTO RICO AS A SEPARATE ECCLESIASTICAL 
JURISDICTION FROM THE UNITED STATES WITH ITS OWN BISHOPS 
CONFERENCE. THE NUNCIO IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, AMCIT 
ARCHBISHOP TIMOTHY BROGLIO ALSO ACTS AS THE PAPAL 
REPRESENTATIVE TO PUERTO RICO, BUT ONLY FOR SPECIFICALLY 
ECCLESIASTICAL MATTERS. POST FURTHER NOTES THAT AN OFFICIAL 
DELEGATION FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF PUERTO 
RICO, HEADED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE ATTENDED THE 
BEATIFICATION. THE DELEGATION WAS ORIGINALLY TO HAVE BEEN 
LED BY THE GOVERNOR. SHE CANCELLED HER PARTICIPATION WHEN 
THE US NAVY RESUMED ITS TRAINING EXERCISES ON THE ISLAND OF 
VIEQUES. POST NOTES THAT THE VISIT OF THE PUERTO RICAN 
DELEGATION AND ITS ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE VATICAN ITSELF 
OCCURRED WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THIS EMBASSY. POLOFF, 
ATTENDING THE BEATIFICATION - A VATICAN "STATE EVENT" - 
NOTED A SEA OF PUERTO RICAN FLAGS WAVED BY THE MORE THAN 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ2273 
 
PAGE 01        VATICA  02459  02 OF 02  052228Z 
ACTION EUR-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AID-00   CEA-01   CIAE-00  CTME-00  DODE-00  WHA-00 
      SRPP-00  EB-00    EXIM-01  E-00     VC-00    FRB-00   H-01 
      TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    ITC-01   AC-01    NEA-00   NSAE-00 
      NSCE-00  OMB-01   OPIC-01  ACE-00   SP-00    SSO-00   SS-00 
      STR-00   TRSE-00  USIE-00  DRL-02   G-00     SAS-00     /009W 
                  ------------------E7D9A4  052228Z /21 
R 041304Z MAY 01 
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0000 
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 VATICAN 002459 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (VAN CLEVE), EUR/SE, EUR/PD/PA, DRL/IRF, 
NEA/NGA, WHA/CAR, H 
 
DEPT. PLS PASS WHITEHOUSE 
 
FROM EMBASSY VATICAN/MESSAGE NO. 67/01 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM EFIN ECON IZ GR PHUM EFIN ECON IZ GR VTPREL
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        VATICA  02459  02 OF 02  052228Z 
SUBJECT: THE VATICAN RAG 
 
2000 AMERICANS PRESENT. ONE BRAVE SOUL ALSO SHOWED THE STARS 
AND STRIPES. THROUGHOUT THERE WAS NO OTHER REFERENCE TO THE 
FACT THAT "CHARLIE" WAS IN FACT AN AMERICAN CITIZEN. END 
NOTE). 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
POPE SAYS WORLD LEADERS MUST CONTROL GLOBALIZATION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶5.   (U) IN AN APRIL 27 SPEECH FOCUSING ON THE DANGERS OF 
GLOBALIZATION, POPE JOHN PAUL II TOLD AN AUDIENCE OF ABOUT 
FIFTY INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN ACADEMICS PARTICIPATING IN THE 
ANNUAL PLENARY MEETING OF THE PONTIFICAL ACADEMY OF SOCIAL 
SCIENCES THAT GLOBALIZATION HAS IN ITSELF BECOME A NEW 
CULTURE, DISPLACING LOCAL CULTURES AND REDUCING THE VALUE OF 
HUMAN BEINGS TO THEIR ECONOMIC USEFULNESS.  THE POPE URGED 
WORLD LEADERS TO CONTROL THE FORCES OF THIS "NEW VERSION OF 
COLONIALISM" AND TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS, 
CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.  HOWEVER, THE POPE 
REFUSED TO OVERSIMPLIFY GLOBALIZATION IN TERMS OF GOOD OR 
BAD.  "IT WILL BE WHAT PEOPLE MAKE OF IT," HE SAID. 
MERANTE 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
> 
 

 2001VATICA02459 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED