Holy See Press Office director, Fr. Federico Lombardi, has asked for
careful evaluation and "great prudence" in the examination of
confidential files leaked by WikiLeaks to media outlets.
The content of sensitive internal U.S. State Department cables
concerning the Vatican, written by representatives from the U.S. Embassy
to the Holy See, was made public Dec. 11.
In a statement that day, Fr. Lombardi stressed that the reports
"reflect the perceptions and opinions of the people who wrote them.” He
emphasized that the cables “cannot be considered as expressions of the
Holy See itself, nor as exact quotations of the words of its officials.
"Their reliability must, then," he continued, "be evaluated carefully
and with great prudence, bearing this circumstance in mind."
Only one of the Vatican-related cables had been released prior to
Dec. 10. However, over the course of the day, a barrage of articles on
additional cables surfaced.
Five newspapers, the New York Times,
Britain's The Guardian, France's Le Monde, Germany's Der Spiegel and
Spain's El Pais, reported on documents concerning the Vatican.
These five media outlets are thought to be in exclusive possession of
the "Cablegate" briefs.
They span the last decade uncovering the U.S.
Embassy's perceptions of Vatican positions on a variety of themes.
On Vatican communications
In a file from February 2009 labeled "confidential," Julieta Valls
Noyes, the second-in-command at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See broke
down her vision of communications within the Vatican.
The cable came
shortly after Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunication of a bishop
without knowing that he denied the extent of the Holocaust.
Valls pointed to a "communication gap" that marked "the challenge of
governing a hierarchical yet decentralized organization,” as well as
“leadership weaknesses at the top, and an undervaluing of (and ignorance
about) 21st century communications."
She added that these problems result in "muddled, reactive messaging
that reduces the volume of the moral megaphone the Vatican uses to
advance its objectives.”
In a separate cable from just weeks earlier, Valls commented that the
Pope "sometimes bewilders politicians and journalists by pursuing what
he believes is in the best interest of the Church.”
She added that
“Vatican outsiders lament decisions or policies that they perceive as
being out-of-step with the new millennium, and call for the Church to be
more modern and accommodating.
"What these observers fail to recognize is the consistency of the
Holy See's decisions and behavior on key issues like the reunification
of the Church or the dignity of all human beings - and the value of that
consistency.
"Regardless of whether outsiders agree or disagree with the Holy See,
it's hard to dispute its moral influence, geographic reach, and ability
to grab headlines," she wrote.
"These qualities can make the Vatican a formidable partner for the U.S. and other nations in the pursuit of common objectives."
Vatican and U.S. President
A 2009 cable titled, "Scenesetter for the President's July 10 visit"
offered a look at the briefing U.S. President Barack Obama received
before his visit to Rome.
The brief painted a picture of shared and
contrasting views – but also of mutual respect – as the embassy prepared
the president for his meeting with the Pope.
Turkey's inclusion in European Union
An August 2004 cable addressed then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's
hesitation to welcome Turkey into the European Union.
In the same report
was the embassy's clarification that the Vatican saw "no obstacle" to
full EU membership if the nation met requirements.
Another cable – from June 2009 - acknowledged the Pope's "uneasiness"
of allowing Turkey into the EU as a cardinal.
It also reported the
official position of the Holy See that "as a non-EU member the Vatican
has no role in promoting or vetoing Turkey's membership."
The cable continued by opining that "the Vatican might prefer to see
Turkey develop a special relationship short of membership with the EU,
but Vatican Secretary of State (Prime Minister-equivalent) Bertone has
stated that Turkey should become a member if it meets all the EU
criteria - including full protection of human rights and religious
freedoms."
Foreign diplomacy
Other transmissions released by The Guardian noted the apparent
objectives of Vatican diplomacy. Cables from 2009 - 2010 highlighted
meetings with Vatican officials about softening the American trade
embargo of Cuba and the Holy See's concerns related to Venezuelan leader
Hugo Chavez.
In a cable from July 2001, the embassy spoke of the Vatican as a
"supra-national power," with limited territory but extensive influence
in the world.
Sexual abuse
A cable titled, "Sex abuse scandal strains Irish-Vatican relations,
shakes up Irish church, and poses challenges for the Holy See” written
by Valls in Feb. 2010 examined Vatican-Irish government relations after
an Irish government entity bypassed diplomatic channels in search of
information.
Vatican officials lamented the offense as "an affront to Vatican
sovereignty" and head diplomat, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, sent a letter
to the government requesting that all communication be made through
official channels.
Archdiocese of Dublin commissions sought information on sexual abuses by priests from the Vatican's congregation for doctrine.
While some saw the decision not to respond to the extra-official
request as cold, the Irish Times reported that Irish Prime Minister
Brian Cowen said that both the commission and the Holy See appeared to
act in good faith, "even if the best outcome was not achieved."
Because it was a question between governments, all communications should have been made officially, he said.
He added that "(i)t is regrettable that the failure to acknowledge
either letter has given rise to the impression the Holy See was refusing
to co-operate with the commission."
More indiscretions are sure to be released, with Vatican-related
cables numbering over 800.
They form just a small part of the more than
alleged 250,000 secret and confidential documents due for release by
WikiLeaks.
SIC: CNA/INT'L