VZCZCXRO9640
PP RUEHCN RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHGH RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHSL RUEHVC
DE RUEHROV #0128 3411634
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 071634Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1205
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON PRIORITY 0001
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK PRIORITY 0006
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0006
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 1244

S E C R E T VATICAN 000128 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  12/7/2034 
TAGS: EAID PREL PHUM PGOV CH KN BM VT
SUBJECT: (C) HOW VATICAN CHARITIES WORK WITH UNFRIENDLY REGIMES IN 
CHINA, NORTH KOREA, AND BURMA 
 
REF: VATICAN 127 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Julieta Valls Noyes, DCM, EXEC, State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b) 
¶1.  (S) Summary:  At a recent meeting, the Asia Desk officer at 
Caritas, the network of Catholic relief associations with 
chapters in over 200 countries, described the organization's 
work with both the official and the underground Church in China, 
support for hospitals in the DPRK, and relief assistance in 
Burma.  Caritas' acceptance by undemocratic regimes depends on 
two factors: A) keeping a low profile to slowly gain acceptance, 
and B) efficient delivery of aid to needy populations.  For 
these reasons, Embassy believes Caritas will steer clear from 
partnerships that could risk ad-hoc accommodations made with 
these regimes in order to directly serve those in need.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2.  (S) P/EOff met with Father Casario Sixto Y. Sanedrin 
(protect), the desk officer for South East and Central Asia at 
Caritas Internationalis, the Rome-based headquarters for the 
federation of Caritas national organizations worldwide.  (Note: 
Caritas Internationalis coordinates the domestic and 
international work of Caritas national organizations -- which 
are accountable to local bishops -- and also liaises with Cor 
Unum, the Vatican's international aid department.  End note.) 
Sanedrin opened up on Caritas priorities, and described how 
Caritas organizations find working accommodations to allow their 
personnel to deliver aid -- even in countries with very closed 
and/or repressive governments. 
 
¶3.  (S) In China, for example, Sanedrin said Caritas involvement 
is growing.  Caritas works with both "Patriotic" Church that 
Beijing officially recognizes, and with the underground Church 
that is more faithful to the Vatican.  The Chinese government, 
Sanedrin affirmed, knows that this is the case, but Chinese 
authorities "look the other way" when Caritas cooperates with 
the underground Church.  At the same time, in a concession to 
Chinese sensitivities, Caritas does not include statistics on 
its work in China in its publications.  This helps avoid GOC 
condemnation or Caritas' related expulsion from China. (Note: 
Cor Unum's mid-level officials are reportedly the only Vatican 
representatives allowed to travel inside China.  End note.) 
Sanedrin said HIV/AIDS is a growing problem in central and 
coastal China, with many people unable to get antiretroviral 
medication.  Caritas is growing its HIV/AIDS prevention and 
treatment efforts throughout China. 
 
¶4.  (S) In North Korea, Sanedrin said Caritas also is doing good 
work quietly.  He recalled a meeting in 2008 (date unspecified) 
in Shanghai between DPRK officials, Caritas Internationalis, and 
Vatican officials, regarding a second Vatican-funded 
construction hospital in the DPRK to supplement an existing 
facility also run by the Church.  Both hospitals are indirectly 
staffed by Caritas and Catholic Relief Services (i.e., 
Caritas-U.S.) personnel and DPRK party members.  Sanedrin 
expected that the Vatican will continue to take advantage of 
Caritas' good relations with Pyongyang to facilitate future 
meetings as needed. 
 
¶5.  (S) Caritas operates in Burma under the name Corona because 
a group called "Karitas" is run by a general in the junta.  The 
junta does not recognize Corona officially, so it runs its 
relief operations out of Thailand.  Although the junta 
previously harassed Corona workers, after seeing the assistance 
they provided after Cyclone Nargis, the persecution dropped. 
Sanedrin confided that international Caritas workers operate in 
Burma largely under the guise of vacationers -- flying in every 
two weeks from Thailand. 
 
¶6.  (C) Comment:    Caritas and its affiliated organizations 
have over 40,000 employees worldwide, supplemented by 125,000 
volunteers, present in over 200 countries.  It runs assistance 
programs in 162 countries (doing fundraising in the others). 
Caritas clearly believes that its mission of assisting the needy 
in repressive countries must/must come ahead of condemnation of 
the governments doing the repressing.  In this sense, it 
reflects the priorities at the Vatican itself.  Embassy 
therefore expects that Caritas will continue to seek quiet 
accommodation even with the most repressive regimes, as long as 
such accommodations allow its life-saving work to continue. 
(For further insights on Caritas work in Vietnam, see ref A.) 
End comment. 
 
DIAZ