VZCZCXRO6349
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHROV #0065 2491459
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 051459Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0976
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 1010

UNCLAS VATICAN 000065 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KIRF VT
SUBJECT: CATHOLIC MOVEMENT WARY OF EUROPEAN HUMAN RIGHTS DISCOURSE 
 
REF: VATICAN 26 AND 28 
 
¶1.  Summary:  A panel discussion on justice and human rights -- 
which included a presentation by Ambassador Glendon -- and 
conversations with members of the Catholic lay movement indicate 
that an important segment of European Catholics are wary of some 
of the continent's institutions' and governments' promotion of a 
human rights discourse that runs counter to Catholic Church 
teachings.  In their view, this trend ignores European 
traditional values and betrays the true essence of human rights. 
 End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) On August 27 Ambassador Glendon participated in a panel 
discussion on "Justice and Human Rights," part of the annual 
weeklong cultural festival run by the Catholic lay movement 
"Communion and Liberation" since 1982 in Rimini.  Pol Chief 
attended several other festival events from August 24 to 27 and 
discussed human rights with members of the movement.  (Note: 
see reftels for background information about Communion and 
Liberation and other Catholic lay movements.  End note). 
 
¶3. (U)  Joining Ambassador Glendon on the panel were Joseph 
Weiler, law professor at New York University; Marta Cartabia, 
law professor at the State University of Milan in Biccoca; and 
Father Stefano Alberto, theology professor at the Catholic 
University of Milan. 
 
¶4. (U) Ambassador Glendon discussed Pope Benedict XVI's speech 
from the UN General Assembly in May, in which he upheld human 
rights against modern political and philosophical currents 
undermining them.  Professor Weiler noted that while the vast 
majority of European citizens are not victims of human rights 
violations, virtually all Europeans list human rights as one of 
their highest political values.  This, he maintained, shows that 
the concept of human rights is ingrained in Europe's political 
identity, informed by its history and Judeo-Christian tradition. 
 For Weiler, when governmental agencies assume sole 
responsibility for promoting and protecting human rights, 
citizens are relegated to the role of passive observer. 
Professor Cartabia criticized European institutions that, under 
the guise of promoting human rights, aim to legitimize abortion, 
euthanasia, and same sex marriage. 
 
¶5. (U) The panelists underlined the need to promote and protect 
fundamental rights, and to denounce the characterization of 
subjective preferences as inalienable human rights.  Such 
characterizations, they agreed, would distort and trivialize the 
meaning of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment:  Informed by Catholic social doctrine and the 
teachings of the Church, European Catholics --such as the 
thousands that every year attend the Rimini meeting-- have been 
strong advocates of human rights.  Among the Rimini audience, 
however, there was a sense that certain European governments and 
institutions (such as the Zapatero administration in Spain and 
the Council of Europe) are promoting the view that abortion, 
euthanasia and same sex-marriages are human rights.  Such a 
view, Communion and Liberation members believe, instrumentalizes 
human rights and betrays their true essence. 
 
¶7. (SBU) To the extent that European institutions and 
governments use the language of human rights to advocate 
legislation that runs counter to Catholic social doctrine and 
Church teachings, they risk alienating a significant part of the 
continent's traditional human rights constituency.  Under this 
scenario, European Catholics committed to the teachings of the 
Church are likely to be suspicious of, rather than embrace, 
European governments' and institutions' calls to promote human 
rights at home and abroad.  End comment. 
 
GLENDON