VZCZCXRO3140
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHSL
DE RUEHROV #0011/01 0201644
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O P 201644Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1239
RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE IMMEDIATE 0010
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA IMMEDIATE 0011
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0032
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 0042
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0126
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0090
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 1278

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000011 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  1/20/2035 
TAGS: EAID PREL SOCI PHUM KIRF VT HA
SUBJECT: VATICAN ON HAITI: CHURCH LOSSES AND RESPONSES 
 
REF: A. A) STATE 4807 
     ¶B. B) STATE 4854 
     ¶C. C) VATICAN 10 
     ¶D. D) KELLY-NOYES EMAILS 1/16-19/10 
     ¶E. E) STATE 5277 
 
VATICAN 00000011  001.2 OF 002 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Julieta Valls Noyes, DCM, EXEC, State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)

¶1.  (S) Summary:  While devastating, the Church suffered fewer 
losses in the Haiti earthquake than initially reported in the 
media.  The death of the Archbishop and many seminarians were 
especially painful but the Vatican is already reviewing how to 
regroup: Bishop Pierre Dumas, President of Caritas Haiti, could 
become the new Archbishop.  Meanwhile, the Nuncio in PAP is 
working with Haitian bishops, and with international missionary 
and other Catholic organizations, to provide humanitarian aid 
and pastoral care to the victims (see also ref c).  Catholic aid 
organizations have already pledged over $50 million in aid and 
raised over $13 million in donations; these numbers will 
increase.  On a related note, the Vatican is concerned about 
future operating funds for the Haitian embassy accredited to the 
Holy See.  On the political front, the Vatican believes the 
return of deposed Haitian leader (and former priest) Aristide 
would be disastrous and is trying to get a quiet message to him 
and/or his confidantes to this effect.  Holy See officials have 
repeatedly thanked Embassy Vatican for USG response to the 
earthquake and for coordination with the Church on relief 
efforts.  End summary. 
 
(SBU) Church Suffers Tragic but not Incapacitating Losses 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶2. (U) According to FIDES, the media arm of the Holy See's 
Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (which oversees 
the Church's work in Haiti), while Catholic congregations and 
organizations in Haiti suffered deeply tragic losses during the 
earthquake, these were not as overwhelming as initial media 
reports indicated.  Specifically, the known losses to date 
include: 
 
-- Archbishop Serge Miot 
-- Monfort Missionaries:  11 dead; infrastructure damaged 
-- Salesians: 3 dead priests plus 500 students or seminarians 
killed; infrastructure destroyed or damaged 
-- Daughters of Wisdom: 3 dead, 3 missing and presumed dead 
-- Spiritan Fathers: 1 dead 
-- Oblates: 1 dead; damage to buildings and centers 
-- Holy Cross Fathers: 1 dead 
-- Dominicans: no deaths, 1 nun injured 
-- Franciscans: no known deaths or injuries; convent and schools 
destroyed 
 
However, the Council of Latin American Bishops Conferences 
reports over 100 members of religious orders still missing and 
presumed dead.  The good news is that the Christian Brothers and 
Camillan order had no losses, and the Jesuits also lost no-one 
and suffered no damage to their buildings.  (Note:  For context, 
the Vatican has informed the Embassy that before the earthquake, 
the Haitian Church had eighteen bishops in ten dioceses, 486 
diocesan priests, 306 religious orders priests, 332 non-priest 
male religious (monks and friars), 1,851 female religious 
(nuns), and 421 seminarians.) 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Vatican's Secretariat of State official in charge 
of Central America, Monsignor Francisco Frojan, told polchief on 
January 19 that the death of the Archbishop of PAP had been a 
hard blow to the Church.   Embassy understands that Bishop 
Pierre Dumas, President of Caritas Haiti, could become the new 
Archbishop. 
 
¶4. (C) The earthquake also killed the sister of the Cardinal 
Archbishop of Sao Paolo: she was in PAP giving a conference when 
the earthquake hit.  (Some seminarians and other religious 
personnel at that event were also killed.)  At the same time, 
Frojan added that the Vatican was fortunate the Nunciature had 
not been damaged, and thus has become a shelter and meeting 
point for bishops, clergy and missionaries.  No Vatican official 
other than the Nuncio himself were in PAP at the time of the 
earthquake. 
 
(U) Vatican Is Responding to Crisis 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) Polchief delivered refs A and B points to Frojan on 
January 19 and offered USG support should the Vatican require 
assistance in getting humanitarian supplies to Haiti.  While the 
Vatican does not own any planes, Frojan had received questions 
about flights to Haiti from organizations wishing to assist, and 
thanked polchief for the information.  Frojan said Cor Unum -- 
the Vatican's umbrella organization for humanitarian work -- and 
Caritas Internationalis have the lead on relief efforts (ref C), 
and are coordinating donations from a wide range of Catholic 
charities.  For example, U.S.-based Catholic Relief Services (a 
Caritas organization) has already pledged $25 million and raised 
over $13 million in donations for Haiti, and Caritas 
Internationalis is contributing an additional $25 million. 
These numbers will go up. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Beyond the influx of new aid, Frojan noted that before 
the earthquake the Catholic Church throughout Haiti had managed 
26 hospitals, 213 health dispensaries, 4 leprosy health centers, 
23 homes for the elderly and the chronically ill and 39 
orphanages.  Many of these institutions are still functional in 
the affected areas and are providing assistance.  The Camillan 
priests and nuns, for example, ran a hospital in PAP that was 
undamaged and they are now treating the injured.  Operating 
information on other institutions is trickling in to the 
Vatican, but it is still incomplete.  (Note: According to the 
Vatican, there are about 7 million Catholics in Haiti - 70% of 
the population.  Another 23% of the population adheres to other 
Christian denominations.  End Note) 
 
¶7. (C) The Vatican's Chief of Protocol, Msgr. Fortunatus 
Nwachuku, raised another concern with Ambassador Diaz regarding 
Haiti.  The Haitian Embassy to the Holy See, probably like those 
elsewhere, has a very tight budget and cannot sustain operations 
for long without renewed funding from Port au Prince.  Moreover, 
the Haitian Ambassador has confided to his Canadian colleague 
here that the embassy can get by for a little longer, but the 
embassy's situation is unsustainable for long.  Nwachuku asked 
whether any aid programs currently included funding for Haitian 
embassies. 
 
(S) Aristide's Return Would be Disastrous 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (S) In discussions with DCM over the past few days (ref d), 
senior Vatican officials said they were dismayed about media 
reports that deposed Haitian leader -- and former priest -- Jean 
Bertrand Aristide wished to return to Haiti.  (Aristide now 
lives in South Africa.)  The Vatican's Assesor (deputy chief of 
staff equivalent), Msgr. Peter Wells, said Aristide's presence 
would distract from the relief efforts and could become 
destabilizing.  Following a conversation with DCM, the 
Undersecretary for Relations with States (deputy foreign 
minister equivalent), Msgr. Ettore Balestrero, conferred with 
the Vatican nuncio in Haiti.  Archbishop Auza agreed 
emphatically that Aristide's return would be a disaster.  He 
said he would ask local bishops if any of them still had 
positive enough relations with Aristide to persuade him to stay 
away.  Balestrero then conveyed Auza's views to Archbishop 
Greene in South Africa, and asked him also to look for ways to 
get this message convincingly to Aristide.  DCM suggested that 
Greene also convey this message to the SAG.  Embassy will report 
the results of this Vatican outreach once they are available. 
 
(U) Comment: The Church is On the Case 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (C) Normally contemplative and deliberately slow to act in 
political crises, the Vatican and Church-related organizations 
are responsive and effective when dealing with humanitarian 
disasters.  Its global network of aid organizations and local 
Church entities provide a well-organized and reasonably 
well-funded structure to deliver assistance.  Moreover, despite 
concerns elsewhere (ref e), the Vatican is very appreciative of 
USG aid to Haiti.  Holy See officials have thanked Embassy 
Vatican officials repeatedly this week for USG assistance to 
Haiti and for the Embassy's close coordination with the Holy See 
and Church organizations on relief efforts.  They say on-the 
ground liaison with Caritas and with the nuncio would also be 
useful.  Embassy Vatican will continue outreach at all levels to 
continue to get out the message about USG efforts. 
 
¶10.  (C) PORT-AU-PRINCE MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. 
DIAZ