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Frorn: Agnone, Antonio G (Vatican)

Sent: 4l$nT0 8:42:21 AM
To: SvcSMARTHBTSPOP6
Subject: (C) Sex Abuse: The Holy See s Growing Public Atfairs Nightmare
Atta ch rnents : Metad ata.dat

SECRET

MRN: 10 VATICAN 57
Date/DTG: Apr 15,201A I 1512432 APR 10
Frorn: AMEMBASSY VATICAN
Action: WASHDC, SECSTATE IUUEO IATE
E.O.: 1 2958
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, SOCI, VT
Captions: SIPDIS
Refe rence: A) VATTCAN 45
B) VATf CAN 33
Pass Line: AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PASS TO AMCONSUL QUEBEC
AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN PASS TO AMEMBASSY GRENADA
AMEMBASSY ASTANA PASS TO AMCONSUL ALMATY
AMEMBASSY ANIGRA PASS TO AMCONSUL ADANA
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA
AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL DUSSELDORF
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEI(ATERINBURG
AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL LEIPZIG
AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETER,SBURG
AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE PASS TO AMEMBASSY MALABO
Subject: (C) Sex Abuse: The Holy See s Growing Public Affairs Nightmare

l. (C) Surnrnary: The Catholic Church is nohr conf rontlng accusations of c.Lerical sex abuse
against rninors worldwide, and dealing with al legation.s that senior Church leaders
including the Pope hirnsel f fa iled to act to stem. the crisis, The Holy See has thus far
rnanaged the crisis vqry poorly in terrns of public relations. B1
As bad as the is h as be corne ,
r-ngs wl. gef worse fore the et better. VicEims ri hts' oI

Donations to
the Church in affected countries, and Lo the Vatican ittelf, also appear Eo be dropping.
Septels will address A) the more positive internal steps the Holy See is taking or
considering to root out abuses, and B) the causes for crisis" the consequences it is having
on t.he Vatican's foreign relatj-ons and global influence, and. recornnendations for USG
response. Given the guickly evolving nature of this crisis, the shelf life of all the
cables rnay be rather short. End Summary.
{II{ITED STATES DEPARTMEI{T OF STATE
REWEW AUTHORITY: THEODORE SELLII.{
DATE/CASE TD:

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Crisis Just Keeps Growing

2. (SBU) Since the transmi-ssion of Ref A, which reported on clerical sexual, abuse claims in
Ireland, Germany, the Netherfands, Austria, Switzerfand, Spain, and Brazil (and noted prior
crises in the U.S., Canada, and Australia) new allegations have emerged in Italy, Poland,
Chile, fndia, and Mexico, among others, The resignation last year of a bishop in Norway,
at the time presumed to be because of mismanagement., turns out Lo have been because the
bishop had abused an underage boy. The problem for the Church is now global.
3. (C) Meanwhile, the Pope's letter to Uhe victims and their families in lreland, one of
the worst-hit areas, appeased some with its contrite and sincere tone. "You have suffered
grievously and I am truly sorryr" he wrote, "Nothing can undo the wrong you have endured."
If the media commentary is any indication of the broader reaction, however, more people
were angered by the Pope's failure in that letter to announce concrete actions to punish
those responsible for the cover-up.
Accusations Come Closer and Closer to the Top

4. (C) Just as difficult for the Hofy See to manage as the worldwide scope of the crisis is
that the highest levels of the Church hierarchy -- up to and including the Pope himself --
are being bfamed for not stopping it. In the past month, the international media have
reported on three situations of alleged abuse in the U.S, in which the future Pope failed
to take, or delayed, action in his former role as feader of the conqreqation for the
Doctrine of the Fai th (Cnf ) B1

HoIy See Officials Get Emotional Defending Pope

6. (SBU) Officials at the Vatican have reacted emotionally. and in the vj-ew of many,
injudiciously, to what they perceive as unfair media attacks on the Pope. At the Good
Friday service. the preacher of the Papal household said a Jewish friend of his had
compared the recent "persecution" of the Church with the persecution of Jews worldwide.
The cornments outraged Jews and non-Jews alike, And ti,ro days later, in an unscripted pep
talk in front of nillions of television viewers during the Easter Sunday mass, the dean of
the College of Cardinals, Angelo Sodano, publicly urged the Pope not to allow all the
"petty gossip" to get him down. Meanwhile, senior Vatican officials like Cardinal Levada,

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the new CDF head, and Vatican Spokesman Father Lombardi, have publicly blamed the media for
what t,hey call unjusLified and unsubstantiat,ed aLLacks on t,he Pope.

B1

Some Church Officials B1ame Everyone but Themselves

B1

10. (c) It is important, however, to note that this blame-everyone-but-ourselves reaction

is noL universal within the Church, B1

IU W1II Get Even Worse

LL. (C) Meanwhile, some groups and lndividuals outside the Church are determined to keep
pressing the HoIy See for a better response. The U.S, group, Survivors Network of those
Abused by Priests {SNAP}, staged protests on March 25 in front of St. Peter's basilica to
demand that the Vatican remove not just abusers, but those who covered up abuse, SNAP
spokespersons continue to comneni frequently to the media about the abuse crisis. B1

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l-3. (C) The crisis is also starting to have major financial consequences for the Catholic
Church in the affecLed countries, as attendance and donations at services are down.
victims are also beginning to file lanrsuits in some countries against lhe Churchr ds
occurred in the United States. B1

$ignature: DIAZ

GIassified By: Julieta Valls Noyes, DCM

U.S. Embassy to the Holy See
Reason: 1.4 (b)
Declassify on: 203#0 4115
Drafted By: VATICAN:Agnone, Antonio G (Vatican)
Cleared By: Executive Office {U.S. Embassy to the Holy $ee):Noyes, Julieta Valls {Vatican)
Approved By: Executive Office (U.S. Embassy to the Holy See):Diaz, Miguel H (Vatican)
Released By: VATICAN:Agnone, Antonio G (Vatican)
Info: USUN NEW YORK, USMISSION IMMEDIATE ; MANILA, AMEMBASSYIMMEDIATE ;
WE$TERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTSIN,ruEOIATE ;
EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVETMMEDIATE ; AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
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Z E N/AM EM BASSY M I N SK ; ZE N/AM CO N S U L D U SS ELD O R F ;
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