Under Jamil Chad Benedict XVI, the Vatican tried to intervene politically in Latin America.

The Cuban regime, the Hugo Chavez “threat”, the situation in Haiti, the crisis in Honduras and even trade deals in Brazil. XVI.

What the more than 130 documents released by the Wikileaks group reveal point to the bowels of the Vatican’s political affiliations in the Latin American region, which since 2005 represents more than 40% of the world’s believers.

Seeking to play a central political role on the continent, the Vatican has even addressed some hemispheric crises with President Barack Obama himself. The documents even reveal that Vatican Foreign Minister Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone made concrete recommendations to the White House regarding the situation in Honduras on July 10, 2009 at the White House.

In a telegram dated July 15, 2009, the American embassy in the Vatican reported that American diplomats had a meeting with Monsignor Francisco Forjan, in which the Vatican refused to call Manuel Zelaya’s withdrawal from the presidency a “coup.”

The Church urged the US government to urge its partners to publicly disclose “Zelaya’s unconstitutional actions that precipitated the crisis.” “What other government agencies are doing to remove him from power cannot be understood without this context,” the Church said.

For the Vatican, Zelaya had carried out “illegal acts that undermined democracy” and governments, like in Venezuela, were trying to “take over” the issue.

The Church’s leader on this issue was Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, and he came to be considered one of the potential candidates for the Pope. The Church, in addition to supporting the new government, asked that there be no sanctions and that governments not withdraw their ambassadors from Honduras, which Brazil did.

Cuba

One of the most constant topics of meetings between American diplomats and Vatican cardinals was the situation in Cuba. A telegram dated August 19, 2009 revealed that the trip by American cardinals and bishops to Cuba that year was not just an episcopal visit. The aim was also to put pressure on the Havana government regarding political prisoners, with a request from Washington.

The telegram written by the American Embassy in Cuba describes how Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley had a meeting with Ricardo Alarcon, President of the Cuban National Assembly.

The document calls for the names of American clergy to be kept confidential for their safety. But it did reveal that cardinals and bishops had pointed out to the American government how the meeting with Alarcon was going. “We appreciate the (religious) delegation’s voice over the problems of political prisoners,” the telegram said. “It’s good for the Cuban government to hear such messages from third parties.”

The American embassy to the Vatican, in a telegram dated January 21, 2010, reveals that there was a meeting between the US diplomats and the Vatican’s representative in Cuba, Monsignor Accattino.

The church representative insisted that the American government should take a stance in dialogue with Cuba and stressed that while human rights issues must always be addressed, Washington cannot prevent a rapprochement on this basis alone. “After all, despite the human rights situation, Americans and Europeans have relations with other countries like China,” he said.

However, Accatiino acknowledged that he was “concerned about the disastrous economic situation on the island and the political tensions that could lead to a bloodbath”.

On January 15, 2010, the Vatican even made a concrete proposal to the US government to weaken the Cuban regime: to lower the cost of links between Cuba and the US. The proposal was put forward by Bertone’s political adviser, Monsignor Nicolas Thevenin. “This could have a positive impact on promoting political change,” he said.

Chávez

If Cuba was widely treated by the Vatican, it was Hugo Chávez’s Venezuela that was presented by the Vatican as the top concern in the region. Accattino stated that the hardening of the US position on Cuba may eventually help Chavez, and warned that “Fidel Castro’s new success in Latin America. The difference is that he owns oil resources.”

In several meetings with American diplomats, the Vatican made it clear that Caracas was putting pressure on the Church and making the Vatican one of the targets of criticism.

Three years ago, in 2007, a meeting in the Venezuelan capital between William Brownfield, the American ambassador in Caracas, and Cardinal Jorge Cardenal Urosa Savino, would have made clear the Vatican’s intentions.

The meeting took place at the home of the Apostolic Nuncio, precisely to prevent Chávez from accusing the Church of being close to Washington.

At the meeting on February 1, 2010, the ambassador and cardinal discussed the possibility of Pope Benedict XVI using his visit to Brazil that year to put pressure on Chávez. An official trip to Caracas will be refused by the Vatican. “Chavez wouldn’t have invited him,” the Cardinal said.

The two began to discuss the possibility that the plane that will bring the Pope from Rome to Sao Paulo will stop for 45 minutes in Caracas on the grounds of refueling. During this period, the pope receives the bishops and makes a statement.

Pointing to Savino’s positive response, the telegram said, “The Cardinal agreed that any stance would be of symbolic significance.” The parade was not to take place in May of that year.

“The Cardinal notes that Chavez has made great strides towards authoritarianism and foresees difficult years for the Church,” the document states. At the meeting, Savino sought help from the US government to continue their program.

“Dangerous Tendency”

XVI in 2005.

In a telegram dated April 3, 2006, American diplomacy in the Vatican revealed the interference.
He calls on the US under George W. Bush to take action in Latin America.

On March 28 of that year, Mexican Cardinal Juan Sandoval was due to meet with the American ambassador to the Vatican. Sandoval “reiterated what some of our Vatican interlocutors have pointed out about concerns about left-wing leaders in Latin America – Castro, Chavez, Evo Morales, Nertor Kirchner, Bachelet and perhaps Lopez Obrador.”