Be sure to tell your boss, ambassador
Welcoming new U.S. ambassador Miguel Diaz to the Vatican today, Pope Benedict XVI noted some areas of potential cooperation with the Obama administration, but then pointedly raised the issues of issues of abortion and the rights of conscience.
According to a CNS story, the pope called for "a clear discernment with regard to issues touching the protection of human dignity and respect for the inalienable right to life from the moment of conception to natural death, as well as the protection of the right to conscientious objection on the part of health care workers, and indeed all citizens."
I hope Ambassaodor Diaz clearly and completely conveys the Pope's message to President Obama - and that Obama will really listen.
According to a CNS story, the pope called for "a clear discernment with regard to issues touching the protection of human dignity and respect for the inalienable right to life from the moment of conception to natural death, as well as the protection of the right to conscientious objection on the part of health care workers, and indeed all citizens."
I hope Ambassaodor Diaz clearly and completely conveys the Pope's message to President Obama - and that Obama will really listen.
posted by A Secular Franciscan | 5:49 PM
3 Comments:
Of course, an Ambassador's job is to convey HIS country's policy to the host country... but this is an excellent choice. I carp about U.S. foreign policy, and U.S. Ambassadors in Latin America (but that's my job) but will say that in picking academics (like Diaz) who are experts in their fields, this Administration is doing a good job. Normally, the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican is a washed up political hack from the President's party who happens to be a Catholic.
Mary Ann Glendon a washed up political hack? Hardly. And Ray Flynn? I don't think the description applies to him either.
There were all kinds of campaign corruption charges flying around Ray Flynn, and his political career was -- whether he was involved or not -- effectively over. Mary Ann Glendon, is, admittedly, an exception to the rule (at least she's a scholar) but a relatively obscure one, appointed to satisfy a political constituency within the Republican Party (and nothing wrong with that... ambassadorships have been used as political plums since George Washington's day).
Between Flynn and Glendon was Francis Rooney, whose qualifications for the job were being a generous contributor to the Bush campaign. Nothing really wrong with that either.
I realize the Holy See is a tad different than other European mini-states, but it's unusual to see a merit appointment to this post.
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