U.S. and Vatican work together

Though the Vatican's Deputy Foreign Minister, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, “noted that the Holy See could never applaud warfare” and “shared concerns that the military campaign was outstripping political strategies,” according to a leaked cable dated November 2, 2001, he assured U.S. Just over two weeks later, however, according to a cable dated November 19, 2001 and classified by Mr. Nicholson, “Vatican criticism of the war effort is now less likely, according to the Vatican Afghanistan Desk Officer, since advances by the U.S.-led coalition facilitate a more effective response to Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis than anticipated”. Modern option According to the cable, Veglio “argued that people in Middle Eastern states should have the ‘modern' option of being secular, which makes for a better polity than does theocracy”. The cable recounts Veglio asserting that “in many Arab states the constitution is effectively the Koran.” “Governments should no more have the Bible than the Koran as their constitution,” said Veglio, according to the cable, at least “if countries in the region were to move toward genuine democratic and tolerant governments.” Christianity, of course, remains the main interest of the Vatican, and Veglio expressed worries about Church stability in the Arab countries, suggesting that this was a cause for concern for secular states as well.