Ambassador of the United States to the Holy See | |
---|---|
Apostolicae Sedis Legatus Civitatum Foederatarum | |
Nominator | The President of the United States |
Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
Inaugural holder | William A. Wilson as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary |
Formation | April 9, 1984 |
Deputy | Theodore Diehl |
Website | va |
The ambassador of the United States to the Holy See is the official representative of the United States of America to the Holy See, the leadership of the Catholic Church. The official representation began with the formal opening of diplomatic relations with the Holy See by President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II in 1984. [1]
Before the establishment of formal diplomatic relations, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Postmaster General James Farley was the first high-ranking government official to normalize relations with the Holy See in 1933. [2] In addition, Myron Taylor would serve during World War II as an emissary for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1951, President Harry S. Truman's pick of World War II hero Mark W. Clark was defeated.
Between 1951 and 1968, the United States had no official representative accredited to the Holy See. President Richard Nixon changed this when he appointed Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. as his personal representative. President Jimmy Carter followed with the appointment of former New York City mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. Every ambassador to date has been a member of the Roman Catholic Church. The current ambassador is Joe Donnelly, who presented his credentials to Pope Francis on April 11, 2022. [3]
The United States had diplomatic relations with the Papal States from 1797 to 1867. The Papal States ceased to exist in 1870, when its last territory (the city of Rome) was lost to the Kingdom of Italy. After that, the international status of the Papacy was controversial until 1929, when the Italian government agreed to the establishment of Vatican City as a sovereign city-state.
The United States was slow to establish full diplomatic relations with the re-established Holy See, partly due to the prevalence of anti-Catholicism in the United States. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Postmaster General James Farley was the first high-ranking government official to normalize relations with the Holy See in 1933 when the Postmaster General set sail for Europe, along with Soviet Commissar of Foreign Affairs Maxim Litvinoff on the Italian Liner SS Conte di Savoia. In Italy Farley had an audience with Pope Pius XI, and dinner with Cardinal Pacelli, who was to accede to the papacy in 1939. [2] Myron Charles Taylor, an industrialist, philanthropist and diplomat (starting with World War II), served from December 1939 until 1950 as the personal representative of Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman to the Vatican. [4]
On October 20, 1951, Truman nominated Mark W. Clark, a U.S. Army general and World War II hero, to be emissary to the Holy See. Clark later withdrew his nomination on January 13, 1952, following protests from U.S. Senator Tom Connally from Texas and Protestant groups.
Between 1951 and 1968, the United States had no official representative accredited to the Holy See.
In 1969, President Richard Nixon changed this when he appointed—as his personal representative[ clarification needed ]—Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., a former U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, Nixon's 1960 Republican vice presidential running mate and a former U.S. ambassador (to the United Nations, South Vietnam, and West Germany).
In 1978, President Jimmy Carter followed with the appointment of Robert F. Wagner Jr., a former mayor of New York City and U.S. Ambassador to Spain.
Image | Name and title | Presentation of credentials | Termination of mission |
---|---|---|---|
Jacob L. Martin, Chargé d'Affaires | August 19, 1848 | August 26, 1848 | |
Lewis Cass Jr., Minister Resident | November 19, 1849 | November 27, 1858 | |
John P. Stockton, Minister Resident | November 27, 1858 | May 23, 1861 | |
Alexander Randall, Minister Resident | June 6, 1862 | August 4, 1862 | |
Richard Milford Blatchford, Minister Resident | November 26, 1862 | May 20, 1863 | |
Rufus King, Minister Resident | January 8, 1864 | August 17, 1867 |
The following is a list of U.S. ambassadors to the Holy See:
Image | Name | Years served | Pope | U.S. President |
---|---|---|---|---|
William Wilson [lower-alpha 1] | 1984–1986 | John Paul II | Ronald Reagan | |
Frank Shakespeare | 1986–1989 | |||
Thomas Patrick Melady | 1989–1993 | George H. W. Bush | ||
Raymond Flynn | 1993–1997 | Bill Clinton | ||
Lindy Boggs | 1997–2001 | |||
James Nicholson | 2001–2005 | George W. Bush | ||
Francis Rooney | 2005–2008 | Benedict XVI | ||
Mary Ann Glendon | 2008–2009 | |||
Miguel H. Díaz | 2009–2012 | Barack Obama | ||
Mario Mesquita ( Chargé d'Affaires ) [5] [6] | 2012–2013 | |||
Ken Hackett | 2013–2017 | Francis | ||
Callista Gingrich | 2017–2021 | Donald Trump | ||
Patrick Connell ( Chargé d'Affaires ) | 2021–2022 | Joe Biden | ||
Joe Donnelly | 2022–present |
In 2009, the post of ambassador remained vacant for several months because of tensions between the Vatican and the Obama Administration over the issues of abortion and same-sex marriage. [7] Three candidates were mentioned, including Caroline Kennedy and Douglas Kmiec. [7] [8] [9]
From November 2012 through mid-2013, the seat was also vacant, after Miguel H. Díaz left the office to teach at the University of Dayton. President Barack Obama nominated Ken Hackett, a longtime president of Catholic Relief Services, for the position in June 2013. [10] Ken Hackett was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See on August 1, 2013. [11] [12]
An apostolic nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is appointed by and represents the Holy See, and is the head of the diplomatic mission, called an apostolic nunciature, which is the equivalent of an embassy. The Holy See is legally distinct from the Vatican City or the Catholic Church. In modern times, a nuncio is usually an archbishop.
Myron Charles Taylor was an American industrialist, and later a diplomat involved in many of the most important geopolitical events during and after World War II.
The Apostolic Nunciature to the United States, sometimes referred to as the Vatican Embassy, is the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to the United States. It is located at 3339 Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Embassy Row neighborhood. Since 2016, the papal nuncio has been Cardinal Christophe Pierre.
The current United States Ambassador to the Holy See is Joe Donnelly, who replaced the ad interim Chargé d'Affaires, Patrick Connell, on April 11, 2021. The Holy See is represented by its apostolic nuncio, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who assumed office on April 12, 2016. The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See is located in Rome, in the Villa Domiziana. The Nunciature to the United States is located in Washington, D.C., at 3339 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Relations between the Holy See and the Republic of China were established on a non-diplomatic level in 1922 and at a diplomatic level in 1942. The Holy See, under the One-China policy, recognizes the Republic of China as the representative of China.
Holy See–United Kingdom relations are foreign relations between the Holy See and the United Kingdom.
The Holy See has long been recognised as a subject of international law and as an active participant in international relations. One observer has stated that its interaction with the world has, in the period since World War II, been at its highest level ever. It is distinct from the city-state of the Vatican City, over which the Holy See has "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction".
Holy See–Ireland relations are foreign relations between the Holy See and Ireland. The majority of Irish people identify as Roman Catholic, according to census data. However, views on actual church dogma both on social and spiritual matters varies significantly, and weekly mass attendance is below 40%. The Holy See has an Apostolic Nunciature in Dublin.
Holy See – Mexico relations are foreign relations between the Holy See and Mexico. Catholicism was introduced in Mexico in 1519 by the Spanish Empire. The majority of Mexicans practice the Catholic faith, however, since the adoption of the current Constitution in 1917, Mexico is a secular nation.
Holy See–Vietnam relations are foreign relations between the Holy See and Vietnam.
The Embassy of the United States of America to the Holy See is the diplomatic mission of United States of America to the Holy See, a term referring to the central government and universal reach of the Roman Catholic Church.
Foreign relations of Pope Pius XII extended to most of Europe and a few states outside Europe. Pius XII was pope from 1939 to 1958, during World War II and the beginning of the Cold War.
Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli visited the United States for two weeks in October–November 1936 as Cardinal Secretary of State and Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church. At the time, Pacelli was the highest-ranking Catholic official ever to visit the US. Although he did not visit the US as Pope, he was the first Pope who visited the US at any time in his life.
Kenneth Francis Hackett served as the United States Ambassador to the Holy See from August 2013 until January 2017. He was previously president of Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
Holy See–Philippines relations refers to the relations between the Holy See and the Philippines. As one of two Catholic-majority countries in Asia, the Philippines enjoys significant relations with the Holy See. The Holy See has a nunciature in Manila, and the Philippines has an embassy to the Holy See based in Rome.
Larry Wang or Wang Yu-yuan is a senior diplomat of the Republic of China (Taiwan). He is a native of Wujin County, Jiangsu Province. He is proficient in English and Spanish.
The Embassy of the Philippines to the Holy See is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the Holy See, the central government of Vatican City and the Roman Catholic Church. Opened in 1957, it is located along Via Paolo VI in the rione of Borgo, part of Municipio I in central Rome along the border between Italy and Vatican City, and across from St. Peter's Square.