C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000028
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/20/2029
TAGS: PREL, ECPS, PHUM, PGOV, KPAO, KIRF, VT
SUBJECT: THE HOLY SEE: A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE
REF: VATICAN 25 AND PREVIOUS (NOTAL)
CLASSIFIED BY: Julieta Valls Noyes, CDA, EXEC, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b)
1. (C) Summary: Together with other flaps, the recent global
controversy over the lifted excommunication of a Holocaust
denying bishop (reftel) exposed a major disconnect between Pope
Benedict XVI's stated intentions and the way in which his
message is received by the wider world. There are many causes
for this communication gap: the challenge of governing a
hierarchical yet decentralized organization, leadership
weaknesses at the top, and an undervaluing of (and ignorance
about) 21st century communications. These factors have led to
muddled, reactive messaging that reduces the volume of the moral
megaphone the Vatican uses to advance its objectives. This is
especially true with audiences whose view of the Vatican is
informed largely by mass media coverage. There are signs that
at least some in the Vatican have learned their lessons and will
work to reshape the Holy See's communications structure.
Whether they'll prevail remains to be seen. End Summary.
A CENTRALIZED HIERARCHY MAKING DECENTRALIZED DECISIONS
--------------------------------------------- ---------
2. (SBU) The Vatican is highly hierarchical with the Pope
ultimately responsible for all important matters. Yet it is
also highly decentralized in its decision-making. This
structure reflects belief in the principle of "subsidiarity":
leaving decisions to those closest to, and best informed on, a
particular matter. On a practical level, however, subsidiarity
can limit horizontal communication by eliminating peer
consultation and review. This approach also encourages a narrow
focus on issues at the expense of the big picture.
3. (C) In discussing the recent crisis with CDA and PAO,
Archbishop Claudio Celli, President of the Pontifical Council
for Social Communications, described the Church's current
communication style as being focused on the content of a
decision, rather than its public impact. Monsignor Paul Tighe,
his second in command, noted that this phenomenon is compounded
by the fact that officials from the various Church organs see
themselves as advocates for their issues, without considering
their impact on the Church as a whole. The result is a process
in which only a handful of experts are aware of imminent
decisions -- even major decisions with broad implications -- and
those who are become proponents, rather than impartial advisors
to the Pope.
4. (C) A series of missteps during Benedict's Papacy have made
the lack of information-sharing in the Church painfully clear.
In 2006, the Pope made a speech in Regensburg that was widely
decried as insulting to Muslims, though he later explained he
had no such intent. In 2008, the Pope himself baptized (i.e.,
converted)a prominent Muslim during the 2008 Easter Vigil
service at St. Peters, an event broadcast worldwide; the
Cardinal who runs Inter-Faith Dialogues for the Church knew
nothing about the conversion until it happened. This year,
Father Federico Lombardi, head of the Vatican press office, and
Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity, which includes relations with Jews,
learned only after the fact about the decision to reinstate
communion with schismatic Lefebrvist bishops who included a
Holocaust denier (reftel). In the midst of that scandal,
meanwhile, the Pope proposed promoting to auxiliary bishop a
priest who said Hurricane Katrina was "divine retribution" for
licentiousness in New Orleans. The resulting outcry led the
cleric to decline the offer.
A TIN EAR AT THE TOP
--------------------
5. (C) These public missteps have intensified scrutiny of the
small group of decision-makers advising the Pope. Normally
reserved Vatican commentators have directed withering criticism
their way. George Weigel, editor of a conservative US-based
Catholic monthly, recently wrote that "curial chaos, confusion,
and incompetence" had made clear "how dysfunctional the curia
remains in terms of both crisis analysis and crisis management."
Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone -- who is tasked with
managing the Curia and is its highest ranking official after the
Pope -- has been a particular target. Sandro Magister, a noted
Italian journalist, said Cardinal Bertone had "distinguished
himself by his absence" during the Lefebrvist controversy, and
that the curia had become "more disorganized than before" under
his leadership. Yet Magister may have understated the problem.
At the height of the Lefebrvist scandal, Bertone referred
publicly to the offending bishop by the wrong name, then
denounced the media for "inventing" a problem where there was
none. Other critics note Bertone's lack of diplomatic
experience (he speaks only Italian, for example), and a personal
style that elevates "pastoral" work -- with frequent foreign
travel focusing on the spiritual needs of Catholics around the
world -- over foreign policy and management.
6. (C) More broadly, critics point to a lack of generational or
geographical diversity in the Pope's inner circle. Most of the
top ranks of the Vatican -- all men, generally in their
seventies -- do not understand modern media and new information
technologies. The blackberry-using Father Lombardi remains an
anomaly in a culture in which many officials do not even have
official email accounts. Monsignor Tighe (strictly protect)
laid even greater emphasis on the Italo-centric nature of the
Pope's closest advisors. Other than Archbishop James Harvey, an
American and head of the Papal household, there is no one from
an Anglophone country in the Pope's inner circle. Monsignor
Tighe, an Irishman, said this meant few had exposure to the
American -- or, indeed, global -- rough and tumble of media
communications. The Pope's Italian advisors, he said, tend
towards old-fashioned, inwardly focused communications written
in "coded" language that no-one outside their tight circles can
decipher. (The Israeli Ambassador, for example, told CDA that
he recently received a Vatican statement that was supposed to
contain a positive message for Israel, but it was so veiled he
missed it, even when told it was there.)
7. (C) There is also the question of who, if anyone, brings
dissenting views to the Pope's attention. As noted, Cardinal
Bertone is considered a "yes man," and other Cardinals don't
hold much sway with the Pope -- or lack the confidence to bring
him bad news. And if bad news rarely filters out, leaks never
spring. Monsignor Tighe said that under Pope John Paul II leaks
were much more common. While damaging, these leaks did allow
time for critics of pending decisions to mobilize and present
opposing views to the Pope in time. Pope Benedict and Cardinal
Bertone run a much tighter ship, he said, but at the expense of
squashing coordination or allow dissenting voices to be heard.
NOT SPIN CITY
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8. (C) As has become evident throughout the controversies, much
of the Vatican hierarchy greatly undervalues external
communication. Structurally, the Pontifical Council for Social
Communications and the Vatican Press Office are weak. The
former applies the Church's teachings to the field of
communications and is not involved in shaping the Pope's
message. The latter has the writ, but not the influence.
9. (C) Father Lombardi, the spokesman, is not part of the Pope's
inner circle. He has little influence over major decisions,
even when he knows about them beforehand. And the poor man is
terribly overworked: Lombardi is simultaneously the head of the
Vatican Press Office, Vatican Radio (which broadcasts in 45
languages), and the Vatican Television Center, literally moving
from one office to the other over the course of the day. It's a
grueling schedule on good days, and debilitating during crises.
Father Lombardi is the deliverer, rather than a shaper, of the
message. In the wake of the Lefebrvist controversy, he openly
said that the Vatican press office "didn't control the
communication." Without a comprehensive communication strategy
in which he plays a central role, he is dependent on individual
Church organs and leaders seeking his advice. It's a hit or
miss proposition.
10. (C) There is another cost to divorcing decision-making from
public spin: the Church's message is often unclear. Monsignor
Tighe candidly said that the Holy See rarely considered how best
to explain dogmatic, ecclesiastical, moral or other decisions to
a broader public. He emphasized that the content of the message
should not/not be different -- the Catholic Church would often
take positions contrary to public opinion -- but the Church
hierarchy needed to think more about how to present positions.
CRACKING THE REAL DA VINCI CODE?
--------------------------------
11. (C) The communication culture of the broader Catholic Church
is diverse, however, with many Church-affiliated organizations
now excelling at communication. One example of a Church
organization that is using modern communications strategies to
deliver its message, interestingly enough, is Opus Dei. (Pope
John Paul II was widely perceived as being more adept at public
communications than Benedict; his communications director,
Joaquin Navarro Valls, famously belongs to Opus Dei.) CDA and
PolOff recently met with Manuel Sanchez, Opus Dei's head of
international media relations, and discussed how Opus Dei
responded to the "Da Vinci Code" - a novel which pilloried the
group. Sanchez said that Opus Dei realized it could respond in
one of three ways: (1) ignore the controversy; (2) adopt a `no
prisoners' approach and refute every error; or (3) treat the
controversy as a chance to explain Opus Dei to the world. Opus
Dei chose the third option, holding regular briefings for
journalists and others, and the organization's membership has
actually increased as a result.
FIXING WHAT'S LOST IN TRANSLATION
---------------------------------
12. (C) There is a growing urgency within the Vatican about the
need to change the current communication culture. The rare
public criticisms offered by Father Lombardi and Cardinal Kasper
of their colleagues' roles in the Lefebrvist scandal are an
extremely strong indicator of internal disquiet. There are a
number of proposals circulating to help fix the problem.
Monsignor Tighe and Archbishop Celli have confirmed privately to
the Embassy that discussions are underway about having the
Pontifical Council for Social Communications assume a greater
coordinating role on major decisions. Father Lombardi has
privately proposed to his leadership the possibility of creating
an office in the Secretariat of State to flag potentially
controversial decisions and has asked for resources to prepare
translations of major statements more quickly. Other Vatican
insiders close to the Pope have suggested bringing more native
English speakers into positions in the Pope's inner circle. And
not a few voices are calling for Cardinal Bertone's removal from
his current position.
COMMENT
-------
13. (C) Behind closed doors, our Vatican contacts seems to be
talking about nothing but the need for better internal
coordination on decisions and planned public messages. Most
Church leaders recoil at the notion that they could be seen as
anti-Semitic or endorsing Holocaust denials, yet are confronting
the ugly reality that many people actually believe these notions
because of their own poor communications culture. But if or
when change will come remains an open question. The structural
and cultural roots of the current situation are deep, and will
not be easily uprooted as they are closely connected to Pope
Benedict's governing style. Similar criticism after the
disastrous Regensburg speech led to little or no change. The
percolating discussions regarding the creation of a policy
coordinating body within the curia - and other possible
solutions -- are hopeful signs. But they are not yet guarantees
that change is coming. Stay tuned. End Comment.
NOYES |
Un cable chiamato 04VATICAN4878 pubblica una serie di contatti. Che però…
21 aprile 2011 - Lo rivela l’ Espresso. Avere il papa dalla propria parte avrebbe evitato contestazioni alle guerre in Kossovo e in Iraq.
28 aprile 2011 - Un cable di WikiLeaks pubblicato da Repubblica ed Espresso getta luce sull’ atteggiamento delle gerarchie cattoliche nei confronti dei metodi ‘spicci’ degli americani.
GIACOMO GALEAZZI
