Obama Nominates Hispanic Roman Catholic Theologian For Vatican Ambassador

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 01 Jun 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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President Obama has nominated Miguel Diaz, a Cuban-born Roman Catholic and an associate professor of theology at the College of Saint Benedict at St. John's University in Minnesota, as the next U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, the White House announced on Wednesday, AP/Boston Globe reports. According to the AP/Globe, although the selection of an ambassador for the Vatican does not usually draw much scrutiny, Diaz's nomination "comes as tensions run high in the U.S. church over Catholics' voice in the public square and the politics of abortion," especially in the wake of the controversy over Obama's recent speech at the University of Notre Dame. Another potential issue that might arise during Diaz's confirmation is his support for former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) during her nomination to be HHS secretary, the AP/Globe reports. Although conservative Catholics expressed anger that Sebelius, who is Catholic, supports abortion rights, Diaz joined 25 other Catholic leaders and scholars who signed a statement supporting her as "a woman of deep faith," citing her record on health care and reducing abortion rates in Kansas, according to the AP/Globe.

In January at Obama's inauguration, Diaz told the Catholic News Service that Obama was "committed to working" with people who defend "life in the womb" and holds much respect for those whose positions he does not agree with. "Wherever we can, we should advance life at all stages," he said. On Wednesday, he declined to comment on his positions on various issues, which he said would be inappropriate before his confirmation hearing. The AP/Globe reports that the next U.S. ambassador to the Vatican would play a prominent role in scheduling a possible meeting in July between Obama and Pope Benedict XVI during Obama's visit to Italy (Gorski, AP/Boston Globe, 5/28).

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