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R 271804Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0601
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RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 0629

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 VATICAN 000269 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/WE LARREA; WHA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM SOCI ECON VT XM
SUBJECT: LATIN AMERICA: 1999 VATICAN DOCUMENT STILL GIVES DIRECTION 
TO POLICY 
 
VATICAN 00000269  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
 
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¶1.  (SBU) Latin America is home to about half of the world's 
more than one billion-plus Catholics, making it a key region for 
the Holy See.  It is also a region where the Catholic Church is 
losing many adherents, especially to evangelical groups.  For 
these reasons and others, Latin America is often on the minds of 
Vatican officials.  In our discussions with them, interlocutors 
refer again and again to "Ecclesia in America," the 1999 Holy 
See document that outlined the Church's concerns and its outlook 
on the region.  Despite the document's age, it remains at the 
heart of the Holy See's perspective on the region and can serve 
as a helpful primer on the Church's Latin interests.  The 
document has particular relevance in light of Pope Benedict's 
plans to address an important Latin American gathering in Brazil 
in 2007. 
 
 
 
¶2.  (U)  This cable outlines several relevant portions of 
"Ecclesia," including sections on economic issues, 
globalization, corruption, drugs, migrants, women, and ecology; 
the document can be found in its entirety at 
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_i i/apost_exhort 
ations/documents/hf_jpii_exh_22011999_ecclesi a-in-america_en.html.  A 
subsequent cable will use "Ecclesia" as the backdrop for an 
examination of current views of the Church in Latin America as 
seen from the Vatican, and address issues such as the 
evangelical challenge in the region.  End summary. 
 
 
 
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Document Addresses Key Concerns 
 
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¶3.   (SBU) A synod (meeting) of the world's bishops on the 
Catholic Church in the Americas (North, Central and South) in 
1999 resulted in a key Holy See reference document for Latin 
America.  Pope John Paul II promulgated "Ecclesia in America" 
(The Church in America), using the deliberations of the synod 
bishops as a basis for his exhortation to the Church in the 
Americas.  The document moved beyond purely ecclesiastical 
themes to address social, economic and political issues specific 
to Latin America: human rights, the impact of globalization, 
urbanization, the external debt burden, corruption, the drug 
trade and the environment.  Though the document is over seven 
years old, and there has been a change in pope since its 
promulgation, it remains the underpinning of the Holy See's 
policy in the region.  Pope Benedict XVI has quoted it several 
times, and regional bishops' conferences pay similar attention 
to the document.  As noted above, our interlocutors have often 
called our attention to the document.  "Ecclesia in America" 
will be the starting point for Latin America's bishops when they 
come together at a special conference to be held in Brazil in 
May 2007.  Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to participate in the 
meeting that will gather together representatives from 22 
bishops' conferences in the region representing half of the 
world's Catholics. 
 
 
 
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Economic Issues 
 
--------------- 
 
 
 
¶4.   (U) In the context of Latin America's legacy of liberation 
theology, a Marxist analysis of class struggle promoted by a 
significant number of Catholic clergy and lay people, the 
bishops were sure to emphasize economic issues when they drew up 
the 1999 document.  "Ecclesia in America" criticized the poverty 
and underdevelopment in rural areas that has contributed to a 
 
VATICAN 00000269  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
growing unhealthy urbanization in Latin America.  Rural areas, 
the bishops said, lack adequate utilities, transportation, and 
educational and health services.  They lamented the lack of 
urban planning in many regions of Latin America - "in certain 
cases, some urban areas are like islands where violence, 
juvenile delinquency and an air of desperation flourish," they 
said.  The synod bishops committed themselves to tackling the 
particular challenges of urban Latin America through education, 
health care and charity work. 
 
 
 
¶5.   (U) The bishops expressed solidarity with Latin American 
countries experiencing the burden of external debt repayments, 
and acknowledged at the same time that debt is often "the result 
of corruption and poor administration."  The bishops charged 
that massive external debt was caused not only by high interest 
rates caused by "speculative financial policies," but also by 
government irresponsibility in repayment planning.  The 
situation is aggravated by the frequency with which huge 
international loans enrich individuals rather than aid countries 
in need. 
 
 
 
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Globalization 
 
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¶6.  (U)  "Ecclesia in America" called globalization morally 
neutral, but warned that if it served simply to "suit the 
powerful" it could only hurt humanity.  In this context, the 
bishops warned against some possible results of globalization, 
including increased unemployment, the reduction and 
deterioration of public services, the destruction of the 
environment and natural resources, a widening gap between rich 
and poor, and unfair competition that put poor nations at an 
increased disadvantage.  Positive consequences of globalization 
on the other hand, included increased efficiency and production, 
and a greater unity between peoples as a result of the 
development of economic and communication links between 
countries. 
 
 
 
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Corruption 
 
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¶7.   (U) Corruption was a key to many ills in Latin America, 
according to the bishops.  They charged that it infected 
individuals, public institutions and the private power 
structures of the governing elite.  Corruption, "Ecclesia" said, 
created a situation that encouraged a lack of trust in political 
institutions, especially in the administration of justice and 
public investments.  The document said those in authority needed 
to denounce and combat corruption more forcefully.  Supervisory 
bodies and transparency in economic and financial transactions 
could also help stop the spread of such corruption, the bishops 
said.  They added that the effects of corruption seemed to weigh 
most heavily on the poor. 
 
 
 
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Drugs 
 
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¶8.   (U) Synod bishops declared that the drug trade and drug use 
constituted a "grave threat" to Latin America's social fabric - 
contributing to crime and violence, the destruction of family 
life, and the physical and emotional destruction of individuals 
and communities.  The bishops said the drug trade also ruined 
governments, eroding economic security and national stability. 
 
VATICAN 00000269  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
 
 
 
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Women 
 
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¶9.   (U) The situation of women in Latin America occupied a 
significant portion of the synod's deliberations.  The bishops 
said that the role of women was "decisive" because of their 
contribution to the material and cultural development of the 
region, especially in education and health care.  The bishops 
lamented the discrimination experienced by women in many part of 
Latin America.  They said the face of the poor "is also the face 
of many women" and they committed themselves to denouncing 
sexual abuse and male domination as actions contrary to God's 
plan for humanity.  The bishops stressed the need for women to 
take up leadership roles within Latin American society, but also 
affirmed traditional roles such as motherhood and full-time care 
of the family. 
 
 
 
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Indigenous People and Migrants 
 
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¶10.  (U) The synod bishops suggested a process of reconciliation 
for indigenous peoples and their "host" societies.  The bishops 
asked that the North American churches adopt special programs to 
help Latin migrants to the United States and Canada to become 
integrated into their new societies.  They warned against 
restrictions against the natural right of individuals to move 
freely within their own nations and between nations.  They 
called for an increased respect for the human dignity of illegal 
immigrants. 
 
 
 
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Ecology 
 
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¶11.  (U) "Ecclesia" paid particular attention to ecological 
issues in Latin America.  They urged Catholics to work with 
legislative and government bodies to ensure effective protection 
of the environment, emphasizing the Catholic position on the 
"stewardship" of creation.  The bishops complained of ecological 
"abuse and destruction" in Latin America, warning of the threat 
of desertification and air pollution.  The Amazon rainforest 
posed particular concern for the bishops; they described the 
region as one of the world's most precious resources. 
 
 
 
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Comment 
 
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¶12.  (SBU) Benedict's May 2005 message to Latin American bishops 
for the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Council of 
Latin American Bishops (CELAM) focused mainly on internal Church 
issues such as the promotion of vocations to the priesthood and 
religious life, and the importance of Catholic moral teaching on 
marriage and family life.  The CELAM meeting itself was more 
politically and socially aware.  At a press conference, the 
bishops - repeating concerns expressed in "Ecclesia in America" 
- lamented the "unjust distribution of wealth and the abysmal 
differences in the distribution of resources" in their region. 
They asked how this could happen when the majority of Latin 
 
VATICAN 00000269  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
America's presidents, business people and professionals claimed 
to be Catholics.  The May 2007 CELAM general assembly will 
likely continue these more political themes and take up many of 
the subjects addressed in the 1999 document.  Pope Benedict's 
attendance at the gathering is likely to draw him into the fray, 
prompting him to reinvigorate the spirit of "Ecclesia in 
America."  We will report more on this in the coming months. 
SANDROLINI