US/Ambassador/Holy See
 US/Ambassador/Holy See  (Ambassador to the Holy See) | |
|---|---|
 Thomas Patrick Melady was George H. W. Bush's Ambassador. His first instruction, now declassified, was to influence the Vatican to recognize the state of Israel, something which was done a few years later in 1993. | |
| Start | April 9, 1984 |
| Website | http://vatican.usembassy.gov/ |
| The United States ambassador to the Holy See | |
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]
List of ambassadors
The following is a list of U.S. ambassadors to the Holy See:
| Name | Years served | Pope | U.S. President |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Wilson | 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)[4][5] | 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 |
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20160423202313/http://vatican.usembassy.gov/
- ↑ http://archive.org/details/jimfarleysstory017770mbp%7Ctitle=Jim Farley S Story
- ↑ https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2022/04/11/0258/00544.html
- ↑ https://religionnews.com/2012/11/05/u-s-ambassador-to-the-vatican-resigns-to-taking-teaching-position-in-ohio/
- ↑ https://at.usembassy.gov/deputy-chief-of-mission-mario-mesquita/
