VZCZCXRO8165
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHROV #0043 0831320
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 241320Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1077
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 0016
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0024
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0006
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0048
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0056
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 1113

UNCLAS VATICAN 000043 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM KIRF ID JA IN VT
SUBJECT: VATICAN SEEKS GREATER DIALOGUE WITH ASIAN FAITHS 
 
REF: A. A) 08 VATICAN 87 
     ¶B. B) VATICAN 5 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Holy 
See's Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, told 
Charge d'Affaires on March 17 that he plans to increase his 
engagement with Hindus, Buddhists and Shintoists this year.  He 
said the Vatican has focused considerably on dialogue with Islam 
in recent years (ref a), and needs more balance in its 
inter-faith work.  (Note:  For complex organizational reasons, 
Catholic relations with Jews are handled by a different Council, 
under Cardinal Kasper.  Tauran does not play a role in that 
dialogue.  End Note.)  In pursuit of the expanded dialogue with 
Asian faiths, Tauran will travel to India in June, Japan in 
August, and Indonesia in November. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Additionally, Tauran will travel to Boston in April 
(for a short visit and to deliver a lecture), and to Washington 
D.C. in September.  In Washington, he will participate in a 
roundtable discussion on religious freedom with former Iranian 
president Mohammad Khatami at the National Cathedral.  Tauran 
would welcome meetings at the Department around the dates of the 
roundtable (post will follow up once dates are confirmed). 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Tauran commented that his goal in talks this year was 
to go beyond the expressions of goodwill that had characterized 
his previous meetings with Asian religious leaders, particularly 
Hindus.  He was concerned that there was a gap between the 
goodwill of his interlocutors and the hostility toward 
Christians in India -- especially among some Hindu nationalists. 
 These nationalists fear that Christianity will expand among 
India's lower classes, thus putting at risk the traditional 
social castes there, and motivating the poor to demand social 
and economic justice.  (Note:  Previously, Vatican officials 
have shared with us concerns about anti-conversion laws, and 
about violence against Christians in Orissa.  See ref b.  End 
note.)  Turning to his expected meeting later in the year in 
Japan, Tauran also expressed frustration that Asian cultures 
prefer to avoid confronting differences.  This allows 
disagreements to linger unresolved, sometimes to the detriment 
of Christians.  Tauran said he would try to find ways to address 
these concerns in a way that his hosts could find acceptable. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Comment:  While Cardinal Tauran understands the 
importance of dialogue with Islam -- which he will be promoting 
when he travels to Indonesia -- he has stated publicly on 
several occasions that the Vatican has not paid sufficient 
attention to relations with other religions in Asia.  Tauran is 
not an expert on Asian religions and is unlikely to find -- or 
even seek -- common theological ground with their precepts. 
Most likely, he will use his meetings to challenge his 
interlocutors about obstacles to the enjoyment of religious 
freedom for all.  End comment. 
 
NOYES