Viewing cable 04VATICAN3213, HOLY SEE BACKS U.S. UNGA PRIORITIES
| Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04VATICAN3213 | 2004-08-20 06:06 | 2010-12-10 21:09 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Vatican |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text
of the original cable is not available.
Friday, 20 August 2004, 06:19 C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 003213 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/WE LEVIN; IO/UNP NARANJO; IO/T: BOOTH, COWLEY ; G/TIP: ETERNO EO 12958 DECL: 08/19/2014 TAGS AORC, ECON, KDEM, PHUM, PREL, VT, UNGA SUBJECT: HOLY SEE BACKS U.S. UNGA PRIORITIES REF: A. STATE 152009 B. WILLSON - MARTIN EMAIL AUG 12 C. VATICAN 2518 Classified By: Charge d’affaires D. Brent Hardt for reasons 1.5 (b and d). ------- Summary ------- ¶1. (C) Holy See Acting Foreign Minister equivalent Parolin told Charge
August 18 that the Holy See was on the same page with the U.S. on most
UNGA initiatives. On cloning, Charge emphasized the Holy See’s potential
to influence Catholic countries to support a ban on human cloning.
Parolin emphasized the Holy See’s agreement with the U.S. position and
promised to support fully UN efforts to ban embryonic cloning. He
rejected the suggestion that the Holy See’s UN mission had sent mixed
messages on the issue last year, insisting that their widely disseminated
position paper was strongly behind a complete ban. Parolin suggested
that the U.S. do more to make the scientific case for the possibilities
of adult stem cell research as an alternative to embryonic stem cells
as a means to build support for the ban. On human trafficking, Parolin
expressed support for the U.S. initiative to increase focus on child
sex tourism, and suggested that Permanent Observer Migliore might make
a statement on the issue in his UNGA intervention. Turning to economic
issues, Parolin agreed with Charge that developing nations had to take
responsibility for their own economic and social development, but
insisted that internal initiatives had to be bolstered by aid from a
reformed international system. End Summary. ------------------------------------ Holy See, U.S. on Same Page for UNGA ------------------------------------ ¶2. (SBU) Charge reviewed the U.S. UNGA priorities with the Holy See’s
Acting Foreign Minister equivalent Monsignor Pietro Parolin August 18,
drawing on ref (a) points. Parolin offered strong support for U.S.
priorities on cloning, trafficking, and democracy, and support with
caveats on the global development and Middle East priorities. Embassy
had shared points prior to the meeting, and Parolin offered the
following comments. --------------------- Banning Human Cloning --------------------- ¶3. (C) Charge began by thanking Parolin for the Holy See’s recent strong
statement against all forms of human cloning issued in the wake of the
recent UK decision to permit expanded cloning for therapeutic purposes.
Parolin responded that the Holy See’s unequivocal position on the issue
was well-known, and noted the close agreement between the Vatican and
USG on the issue. Charge raised points from ref (b), emphasizing the
opportunity the Holy See’s UN mission had, particularly among
predominantly Catholic countries, to expand support for the Costa Rican
resolution banning all forms of embryonic human cloning. Charge stressed
that an active role by Permanent Observer Archbishop Migliore could be
crucial to several countries, not least of all Poland. After last year’s
lobbying efforts, Charge noted, some countries appear to have been left
with the impression that the Holy See was willing to accept the Belgian
compromise on the issue. As it happened, the closeness of the vote showed
that any such misconception may have been decisive. ¶4. (C) (Comment: A Polish diplomat accredited to the Holy See subsequently
told us that he had found the Holy See’s diplomacy on the cloning issue
last year “strange.” He said that in 2003, the Nuncio to Poland had passed
the Vatican paper on the subject not to the Polish Foreign Ministry, but
to the Bishops’ Conference. This approach did not ensure maximum exposure
for the document. Our contact was unaware of the extent of lobbying by
the Nunciature this year; in fact, before we spoke to him he had not been
aware that the issue was to be taken up again. End Comment.) ¶5. (C) Parolin acknowledged that there had been some internal discussion
within the Holy See at the outset of the UN deliberations last year on
whether to support the Belgian compromise, but he insisted that the
Vatican had rejected that position and gone full speed ahead for the
total ban. He maintained that Archbishop Migliore at the UN had been
committed to the Holy See’s position, and may have simply adopted
“tactics” that were misunderstood. Migliore, he added, had hoped to
avoid dividing the international community on the issue. Parolin stressed that there had been “constant
communication” on the issue between Migliore and the Secretariat of
State. The Permanent Observer continuously updated the Vatican on his
lobbying efforts in New York, and advised which countries the Secretariat
should approach at the Vatican. Parolin said he expected continuing
close cooperation this year, and welcomed U.S. suggestions on
countries that might be most susceptible to Vatican pressure. ¶6. (SBU) Parolin observed that while the Holy See would concentrate
on the moral side of the argument, the U.S. might be able to sway
some missions by being more aggressive in making the scientific case
for alternatives to embryonic stem cell research. The Vatican continues
to believe that the scientific argument will likely be the most
compelling for countries on the fence, and if alternatives to embryonic
research can be shown to be credible, these countries will then have
an acceptable foundation for supporting a ban on embryonic research. ----------------- Human Trafficking ----------------- ¶7. (SBU) Parolin, who represented the Holy See and spoke at Post’s
recent anti-trafficking conference (ref c), wanted to know more on
how TIP would fit into the UNGA agenda and what specific initiatives
we would be pursuing. He expressed support for the U.S. goal of
increasing the international focus on child sex tourism, and suggested
that Archbishop Migliore might make a statement on the issue. Charge
encouraged this idea and went on to discuss further collaboration between
the U.S. and Holy See on the issue. (Note: Post plans to increase outreach
to seminarians studying in Rome to raise the profile of the “demand”
aspect of TIP -- an aspect of the problem that priests might well be
able to address from the pulpit or in their mentoring/pastoral roles.
End Note.) ¶8. (SBU) Charge also suggested that pastoral guidance from the Vatican
on trafficking could be a big boost for anti-TIP efforts around the
world. He noted the usefulness of a 2002 anti-TIP document put out by
the Nigerian Bishops’ Conference, and guidance that Pontifical
Councils had published on other subjects (e.g., the Council for Health
Care on the pastoral response to drug addiction and abuse). Parolin
seemed intrigued, and promised to speak to the Council for Migrants
and Itinerants (nominal lead organization on TIP at the Vatican) to
explore ways of expanding Holy See engagement against trafficking. -------------------------- Advancing Economic Freedom -------------------------- ¶9. (SBU) Turning to economic issues, Parolin agreed that developing
nations had to take responsibility for their own economic and social
development and focus on good governance and anti-corruption initiatives.
In the Vatican’s view, however, there had to be a balanced approach
to the issue, in which these internal initiatives were bolstered by
expanded aid from a reformed international system. “The international
community has a duty to help these countries,” Parolin insisted. “They
cannot do it alone.” Charge agreed that a balanced approach was needed,
but suggested that UN debates had not reflected this balance, focusing
almost exclusively on the international institutions and largely
ignoring the critical steps countries needed to take domestically
to promote economic growth. ------------------------ Democracy, Anti-Semitism ------------------------ ¶10. (SBU) In reference to our other UNGA priorites, Parolin said the
Holy See agreed fully with U.S. efforts to promote democracy and build
a greater voice for democratic countries within the UN. He also indicated
that the Holy See would be supportive of a UNGA resolution on anti-Semitism,
noting that the Holy See had supported the OSCE’s anti-Semitism declaration
and believed a similar resolution at the UN would be useful. Charge
reviewed U.S. concerns about anti-Israel resolutions and committees.
Parolin acknowledged U.S. concerns, but said there was an urgent need
to revitalize the Road Map and restart some form of peace process in the region. HARDT NNNN 2004VATICA03213 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
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