VZCZCXRO0183
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHROV #0135/01 3521153
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 181153Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1217
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE
RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN 0007
RUEHVJ/AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO 0005
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 0012
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0034
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0099
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 0020
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0114
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 1256

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 VATICAN 000135 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR G, S/P, S/GPI, AND S/SRMC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM KIRF SOCI SCUL VT
SUBJECT: INTERFAITH DIALOGUE:  A VIEW FROM THE VATICAN 
 
REF: A. A) Meacham-Noyes email of December 1, 2009 
     ¶B. B) VATICAN 95 
     ¶C. C) VATICAN 97 AND PREVIOUS 
     ¶D. D) VATICAN 122 AND PREVIOUS 
     ¶E. E) Vatican 72 
     ¶F. F) VATICAN 52 
 
VATICAN 00000135  001.3 OF 004 
 
 
SUMMARY 
 
------- 
 
¶1. (U)  In an era of growing contacts and conflicts between 
faith communities, interfaith dialogue -- to increase 
understanding and in pursuit of concrete objectives -- is 
increasingly important.  The Holy See is an active proponent and 
participant in a wide range of these dialogues, in order to 
promote peace, mutual understanding, religious freedom and human 
rights, and to seek solutions to local problems.  Given the 
breadth and seriousness of these dialogues, it is vital that the 
USG engage fully with the Vatican to advance these shared 
objectives.  Septels provide A) an inventory of specific 
interfaith dialogues in which the Vatican is involved, and B) 
proposals for USG collaboration with the Vatican on interfaith 
dialogue.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
RELIGION AFFECTS POLICY 
 
----------------------- 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) According to Gallup opinion polls conducted in 143 
countries in 2006, 2007 and 2008, a full 82% of people around 
the world say religion is an important part of their daily 
lives.  The world's largest religion today is Christianity, 
comprising around 2.1 billion people globally.  (Roman Catholics 
are the largest Christian denomination, with between 1-1.3 
billion adherents; Catholics make up 27% of the U.S. 
population.)  Islam is the world's second-largest religion 
overall, with 1.5 billion believers globally, in different 
denominations.  Hindus (900 million), traditional Chinese 
religions (394 million), and Buddhists (376 million) round out 
the top five faiths in the world.  (Note:  If counted together, 
atheists - 1.1 billion globally - would count as the third 
largest belief group.  Data from HYPERLINK 
"http://www.adherents.com"www.adherents.com.  End Note) 
 
 
 
¶3. (U) Religious communities were critically important in 
facilitating democratic transitions in places like South Africa 
and the former Soviet bloc, and faith groups and leaders 
continue to influence politics in places like Honduras and 
Vietnam.  Contacts between people of different religious beliefs 
can contribute to local unrest (as in India), civil wars (in 
countries like Sudan), or even interstate conflicts (as in the 
Balkans).  And, of course, religion also is often used as a 
pretext for international terrorism.  Changing demographics -- 
such as the exploding growth of Christianity in Africa and parts 
of Asia, and Muslim immigration to Europe - are increasing the 
number of encounters between different faith communities. 
 
 
 
VATICAN SUPPORTS BROAD INTERFAITH DIALOGUE, WITH CAVEATS 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) In order to reduce frictions, religious leaders in many 
countries - often supported by secular political leaders and 
civil society - are intensifying interfaith dialogue.  The Holy 
See, the universal government of the Roman Catholic Church, is 
one of the leading proponents and practitioners of 
interreligious dialogue in the world.  Some have been going on 
for over a decade.  (Septel describes the Vatican's formal 
interfaith dialogues.) 
 
 
 
VATICAN 00000135  002.3 OF 004 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) While the Vatican pursues a number of critical 
objectives through these dialogues, it is also important to 
understand what the Vatican is not/not trying to accomplish in 
its discussions with other faiths.  The Vatican believes that 
only the Catholic Church offers a complete plan for eternal 
salvation.  The Pope and other Vatican officials therefore 
maintain that it is futile to seek substantive theological 
agreement with non-Christian religions, beyond very broad 
principles like the golden rule.  Nevertheless, the Vatican also 
believes that God has given each person the freedom to find his 
or her own path to salvation.  In this context, the goal of the 
Vatican's interreligious dialogues is to support peaceful, just 
environments where people can choose and practice their religion 
and their rights freely. 
 
 
 
KEY GOAL OF VATICAN DIALOGUES IS PEACE 
 
--------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Vatican, like the United States, believes that 
religion is often blamed for problems that are essentially 
political.  While power struggles are sometimes cast as 
religious clashes, they are most often about political control. 
In its dialogues with other faith communities, the Vatican seeks 
to differentiate between political and religious matters and 
always emphasizes the importance of peace as an overarching 
objective.  In this regard, the Vatican opposes the use of force 
in the Middle East as a matter of principle, except in 
self-defense or as a last resort.  The use of force, the Vatican 
maintains, is an impediment to religious freedom, because it 
plays into the hands of those who use religion to justify 
violence.  The Vatican understands that the al-Qaedas of the 
world may not stop using violence, and that proportional use of 
force against them may be needed and legitimate.  For most other 
adversaries and in most situations, however, the Vatican argues 
that diplomacy, dialogue and concrete follow-up are the right 
path. 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) Vatican officials hailed President Obama's Cairo 
speech, noting their agreement with his exhortations to build 
trust between Western and Muslim majority countries.  Indeed, 
while applauding the President's defense of religious freedom, 
Vatican officials said more is needed - the world needs to move 
beyond mere tolerance and ensure basic rights for all people to 
practice their respect religions (ref e). 
 
 
 
¶8. (U) To achieve these goals, the Vatican funds organizations 
that support ongoing, positive interfaith encounters.  One such 
organization is the Pontifical Council for the Study of Arabic 
and Islam (ref f).  Its specific goal is to increase the 
knowledge base among Catholics about Islam, and among Islamic 
scholars about Christianity, to facilitate interfaith dialogue. 
Further, the Pontifical Gregorian University hosts an Institute 
for Interdisciplinary Studies about Religion and Culture.  Each 
year, the Institute brings scholars and practitioners of other 
religions to Rome to study and teach; the Institute also 
sponsors seminars and events throughout the year on these 
topics.  Finally, the Pontifical Councils for Christian Unity 
and Interfaith Dialogue participate in a very wide range of 
interfaith events, large and small, around the world each year. 
 
 
 
EVEN MISSTEPS IN DIALOGUES HAVE ADVANCED UNDERSTANDING 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
 
 
¶9. (SBU) Leaders from other religious communities, such as 
Jordanian Prince Ghazi Bin Talal, have praised publicly the 
Vatican's commitment to interfaith dialogue.  Nevertheless, the 
 
VATICAN 00000135  003.3 OF 004 
 
 
Vatican has made missteps in its outreach to other faith groups. 
 Yet even the occasional gaffes have sometimes served to 
increase dialogue and understanding.  In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI 
delivered a speech that quoted a 14th century Byzantine 
emperor's criticism of Islam.  Many Muslims were angered and the 
Holy See had to work hard to mend fences.  The reconciliation 
efforts ultimately led to the opening in 2008 of a major 
Catholic-Muslim interfaith dialogue, the "Common Word" 
initiative (see also septel).  Early in 2009, a Papal decision 
to reintegrate a schismatic group into the Church ran afoul of 
Jews when the group was revealed to include a Holocaust denier. 
Again, the Vatican made special efforts to repair the rift, and 
internationally respected Jewish leaders have told the Embassy 
that Catholic-Jewish relations are today on a stronger footing 
than before the crisis (ref c). 
 
 
 
OTHER PRIORITIES INCLUDE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND HUMAN RIGHTS 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
 
 
¶10. (U) The Vatican believes that adherents of all religions can 
agree that human beings are all equal in dignity and thus 
entitled to live in freedom.  Therefore, Holy See officials 
engage in interreligious dialogue worldwide in order to support 
Pope Benedict's overarching goal of increasing religious freedom 
globally - also a critical USG priority.   Indeed, religious 
freedom is a critical priority for the Vatican, which is deeply 
concerned about the persecution of Christians worldwide.  A 
recent report by a Vatican-affiliated group, "Aid to the Church 
in Need," concluded that 75-85% of people persecuted for their 
beliefs are Christians.  The Vatican advocates for religious 
freedom for people of all faiths, however, not just Christians. 
 
 
 
¶11. (SBU) The Vatican also uses its dialogues with other faith 
communities to promote human rights globally.  The Holy See is a 
strong defender of individual rights such as freedom of 
expression and freedom of conscience, for example, even/even 
when their exercise results in the rejection or criticism of 
religion.  Indeed, Vatican diplomats have partnered with 
American diplomats to defend freedom of expression.  Vatican 
diplomats at the United Nations have lobbied actively against 
religious defamation resolutions sponsored by the Organization 
for the Islamic Conference. 
 
 
 
INTERFAITH DIALOGUE ALSO HELPS SOLVE LOCAL PROBLEMS 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
 
 
¶12. (U) At the same time, Catholic leaders - both ordained and 
lay people - participate in concrete interfaith encounters in 
their own communities every day.  At a recent Embassy-sponsored 
conference on pediatric HIV/AIDS, for example, a Catholic priest 
in Indonesia shared compelling stories about his collaboration 
with local imams to get medication and care for infected 
children.  In addition, Catholic lay groups such the Sant'Egidio 
Community (ref B) or the Focolare Movement are deeply involved 
in interfaith dialogue and interfaith action to address the big 
issues, but also to increase collaboration in areas like 
education, climate change, or care for children or the elderly. 
 
 
 
COMMENT:  U.S. SHOULD DEEPEN INTERFAITH ENGAGEMENT WITH VATICAN 
 
 --------------------------------------------- ------------------ 
 
 
 
¶13. (SBU) The Vatican's objectives for its interfaith dialogues 
are in fully in line with USG priorities.  Closer USG 
coordination with the Holy See on these issues would be highly 
 
VATICAN 00000135  004.3 OF 004 
 
 
beneficial in terms of meeting USG goals for interfaith 
discussions, to: "1) build understanding, 2) facilitate 
connections, and 3) inspire constructive action toward shared 
policy goals" (ref a).  Moreover, by working more intensively 
with the Vatican to facilitate interfaith discussions and 
actions, the USG could also leverage support from religious 
constituencies elsewhere for the same ends.  Septel lays out 
proposals for increased U.S.-Vatican collaboration in support of 
interfaith dialogue and action. 
 
 
 
¶14. (U) One final, shameless plug: Embassy Vatican has created 
an information-sharing portal, updated daily, on a wide range of 
issues that involve the Catholic Church worldwide.  The 
inter-religious section contains many useful entries.  It is 
available here: 
http://vatican.state.gov/inter-religious-dial ogue/.  The Embassy 
would welcome comments and additions to this page. 
DIAZ