Should Ambassador to the Vatican be Catholic?

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The White House today announced the nomination of current Ambassador to the Vatican Jim Nicholson to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

This will open up the position in Rome. Ray Flynn, the former ambassador and former mayor of Boston, has stated in the past that a non-Catholic should be appointed - the position should be treated like any other embassy posting, and open to qualified candidates of any religion. He feels that restricting it to Catholics makes it something of a Catholic ghetto, breeds resentment, and applies a double standard (we don’t limit ourselves to Muslims when appointing the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia).

Should Bush appoint a Catholic or a non-Catholic to be ambassador?
 
we don’t limit ourselves to Muslims when appointing the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
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Yes, but it would be stupid to appoint someone without much knowledge regarding the socio-political and ideological workings of Muslim nations.

Likewise, the best candidate for the job as ambassador to the Vatican ought to have an outstanding grasp of all things Catholic, especially the workings of the Vatican. Now, perhaps it just me, but I don’t believe there are many non-Catholics that have this knowlege (nor, sadly do many Catholics). So, if the best person for the job is the one who knows most about things Catholic, then I’m guessing that a Catholic is the best candidate.

If the president needs a volunteer … I’m willing to give it a try. 😉
 
The post does not need to be filled with a Catholic. But, if it is, the person must be a Catholic in good standing. Sending a “Catholic” who is publicly pro-abortion or divorced and remarried (outside the church) would be a grave mistake, imo.
 
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AmyS:
I think that is should be the best person for the job… 🙂
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It works for other nations; many diplomatic representatives sent to the Vatican are not Catholic - however, when it comes to “ease” of appointment, I would say that a prominent Catholic layperson, having entree to many other Catholics, major sponsors and donors, might find it a much easier adjustment to the post just with knowing people, places and things. OTOH Vernon Walters was once the US’s delegate there and I don’t know if he was Catholic or not.

I didn’t vote in the poll because my choice was not there. Being Catholic is a consideration, but not the only one.
 
The ambassador to France does not have to be French, The ambassador to Mexico does not have to be Mexican so why should the ambassador to the Vatican have to be Catholic? As long as the person is qualified they should get the job.
 
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Lance:
The ambassador to France does not have to be French, The ambassador to Mexico does not have to be Mexican so why should the ambassador to the Vatican have to be Catholic? As long as the person is qualified they should get the job.
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Fair, but one has to speak the language and understand the culture, no??

How does a Protestant understand or speak with an understanding of Catholic doctrine??

I don’t have the answer, just kicking it round.
 
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jlw:
Fair, but one has to speak the language and understand the culture, no??

How does a Protestant understand or speak with an understanding of Catholic doctrine??

I don’t have the answer, just kicking it round.
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It would be very helpful to have a working knowledge of Catholicism, but a protestent could get up to speed in a matter of weeks if not days. He would not have to agree with everything we believe, just know what it is. Have all of our ambassadors to the Vatican been Catholic? I honestly don’t know, I could not have named the ambassador to the Vatican before reading this thread.
 
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Lance:
It would be very helpful to have a working knowledge of Catholicism, but a protestent could get up to speed in a matter of weeks if not days. He would not have to agree with everything we believe, just know what it is. Have all of our ambassadors to the Vatican been Catholic? I honestly don’t know, I could not have named the ambassador to the Vatican before reading this thread.
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Is there a litmus test?? Pro-life??? :ehh:
 
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jlw:
Is there a litmus test?? Pro-life??? :ehh:
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It would be a big plus, but many evangelicals are as much or more pro-life than most Catholics. I am sorry to say but my boss who is an evangelical spends more time working on and supporting pro-life projects than I do. So I don’t know if there should be a litmus test and if there is what it should be. :confused:
 
90% of all appointments of the high profile ambassadorships are rewards and paybacks for helping the sitting administration. To be blunt, they are payment for services rendered. One can hope that they try to choose the best qualified for each post, but I don’t think we’ll have to worry to much about who Pres.Bush picks for this post. Personally I wouldn’t be surprised if he asked his brother Jeb to take the job, and to be honest I think it could be a good choice if he did.

BTW, when did the Sec. of Veteran Affairs say he had decided to leave, I hadn’t heard a word about it. I thought that Anthony was doing a fairly good job, of all the Sec. of Vet.Affairs we’ve had I did like him the best. I’ve been dealing with and getting all of my health there for the last 20 years, and to be honest the last 4 have been much better than all of the 16 previous together.
Linda H.
 
Linda H.:
BTW, when did the Sec. of Veteran Affairs say he had decided to leave, I hadn’t heard a word about it. I thought that Anthony was doing a fairly good job, of all the Sec. of Vet.Affairs we’ve had I did like him the best.
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His resignation letter was released this morning by the White House. I wouldn’t necessarily say he “decided to leave,” I don’t think most cabinet members who leave at the beginning of a new term really want to leave, it’s a decision made by the president.

I don’t really think it makes a lot of sense for Veterans Affairs to be a cabinet post anyway. It was mostly a political move by Reagan, but no president is stupid enough to reverse it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very important work, and our veterans deserve good care, respect, and other services provided by the department. With less bureaucracy. But I don’t think there’s a lot of national decisions on the president’s desk that the DVA needs to weigh in on.

As for ambassadorial posts, you’re right, most are patronage jobs. I think Ray Flynn knew that, and wanted to change things, to have his old job taken more seriously, instead of being a reward to a politician or wealthy donor.
 
I agree that IF a Catholic is appointed, he needs to be a Catholic in good standing. I’m tired of poor representatives of the faith. I admire Ray Flynn and trust that he knows what he is talking about.
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davidc2:
The post does not need to be filled with a Catholic. But, if it is, the person must be a Catholic in good standing. Sending a “Catholic” who is publicly pro-abortion or divorced and remarried (outside the church) would be a grave mistake, imo.
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monica fan:
I agree that IF a Catholic is appointed, he needs to be a Catholic in good standing. I’m tired of poor representatives of the faith. I admire Ray Flynn and trust that he knows what he is talking about.
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The ambassador represents the United States. This means all Americans, not just Catholics, or Catholics in good standing.
 
Linda H. said:
90% of all appointments of the high profile ambassadorships are rewards and paybacks for helping the sitting administration. To be blunt, they are payment for services rendered. One can hope that they try to choose the best qualified for each post, but I don’t think we’ll have to worry to much about who Pres.Bush picks for this post. Personally I wouldn’t be surprised if he asked his brother Jeb to take the job, and to be honest I think it could be a good choice if he did.
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My understanding is that the US Ambassador to the Vatican is strictly a political plum and is given to a Catholic–usually a major donor–mostly because no one else is at all interested in the job. Let’s face it, Ambassador to the Vatican is not among the most exciting positions out there. It is NOT like Ambassador to England, Germany, France, Russia, Israel, Japan, etc. It is largely ceremonial and who but a Catholic would really be interested?

Oh, geez, as soon as I posted, it occurred to me that someone with an agenda might be interested. But I don’t think Pres. Bush would appoint a homosexual or other unacceptable. Clinton might have done something like that. I hate to think what Kerry might have done. :eek:
 
La Chiara:
My understanding is that the US Ambassador to the Vatican is strictly a political plum and is given to a Catholic–usually a major donor–mostly because no one else is at all interested in the job. Let’s face it, Ambassador to the Vatican is not among the most exciting positions out there. It is NOT like Ambassador to England, Germany, France, Russia, Israel, Japan, etc. It is largely ceremonial and who but a Catholic would really be interested?

Oh, geez, as soon as I posted, it occurred to me that someone with an agenda might be interested. But I don’t think Pres. Bush would appoint a homosexual or other unacceptable. Clinton might have done something like that. I hate to think what Kerry might have done. :eek:
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Why can’t a US ambassador be gay?
 
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