Vatican Rejects News Stories Saying it Rejected Pro-Abortion Caroline Kennedy for Obama Ambassador
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 15, 2009
The Vatican (LifeNews.com) -- Holy See officials are again rejecting news stories saying it rejected a potential ambassador for pro-abortion President Barack Obama. Just as they did with two unnamed potential ambassadors, the Vatican says mainstream media reports that it said no to Caroline Kennedy are wrong as well.
According to a report in the London Telegraph, the BBC and Italy's La Stampa newspaper, Vatican officials informally told the Obama administration that Kennedy's pro-abortion views disqualified her from serving as his ambassador to the Catholic city-state.
But on Wednesday, the spokesman for Pope Benedict XVI, Father Federico Lombardi, told AFP that wasn't the case.
"There has not been any proposal regarding the new United States ambassador to the Holy See, and it is therefore untrue that she was rejected," he said.
The comments follow those Father Lombardi gave to the Catholic News Service, in which he denied reports from an Italian journalist and American media outlets saying the Vatican unofficially rejected Kennedy and two other potential diplomats because of their pro-abortion views.
"The rumors circulating about this topic are not reliable," he told CNS last week. "It’s possible names have been circulated inside the U.S. administration, and perhaps rejected for some reason or other, but not because of any Vatican veto."
The ambassador post at the Holy See has been vacant since the January departure of Mary Ann Glendon, who was named in November 2007 by then president George W. Bush. She is a pro-life attorney who was a Harvard University professor at the time of her nomination.
The Telegraph indicated Obama was supposedly wanting to reward Kennedy for her support of his presidential candidacy. It indicated Holy See officials told Italian news source Il Giornale that Kennedy’s support for abortion disqualified her to serve as ambassador.
While the White House has refused to comment on the diplomatic situation, Raymond Flynn, a former US ambassador to the Vatican and the former Boston mayor, said Obama needs to put a pro-life advocate in the position.
"It's imperative, it's essential that the person who represents us to the Holy See be a person who has pro-life values. I hope the President doesn't make that mistake," he told the Boston Herald.
"She said she was pro-choice. I don't assume she's going to change that, which is problematic,” Flynn added about Kennedy.
C.J. Doyle, executive director of the Massachusetts Catholic Action League, agreed with Flynn and said Obama’s potential nomination of Kennedy would be "a calculated insult to the Holy See."
"It’s inappropriate to appoint someone who pretends to be a Catholic but rejects the fundamental teachings of the Church," Doyle said.
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 15, 2009
The Vatican (LifeNews.com) -- Holy See officials are again rejecting news stories saying it rejected a potential ambassador for pro-abortion President Barack Obama. Just as they did with two unnamed potential ambassadors, the Vatican says mainstream media reports that it said no to Caroline Kennedy are wrong as well.
According to a report in the London Telegraph, the BBC and Italy's La Stampa newspaper, Vatican officials informally told the Obama administration that Kennedy's pro-abortion views disqualified her from serving as his ambassador to the Catholic city-state.
But on Wednesday, the spokesman for Pope Benedict XVI, Father Federico Lombardi, told AFP that wasn't the case.
"There has not been any proposal regarding the new United States ambassador to the Holy See, and it is therefore untrue that she was rejected," he said.
The comments follow those Father Lombardi gave to the Catholic News Service, in which he denied reports from an Italian journalist and American media outlets saying the Vatican unofficially rejected Kennedy and two other potential diplomats because of their pro-abortion views.
"The rumors circulating about this topic are not reliable," he told CNS last week. "It’s possible names have been circulated inside the U.S. administration, and perhaps rejected for some reason or other, but not because of any Vatican veto."
The ambassador post at the Holy See has been vacant since the January departure of Mary Ann Glendon, who was named in November 2007 by then president George W. Bush. She is a pro-life attorney who was a Harvard University professor at the time of her nomination.
The Telegraph indicated Obama was supposedly wanting to reward Kennedy for her support of his presidential candidacy. It indicated Holy See officials told Italian news source Il Giornale that Kennedy’s support for abortion disqualified her to serve as ambassador.
While the White House has refused to comment on the diplomatic situation, Raymond Flynn, a former US ambassador to the Vatican and the former Boston mayor, said Obama needs to put a pro-life advocate in the position.
"It's imperative, it's essential that the person who represents us to the Holy See be a person who has pro-life values. I hope the President doesn't make that mistake," he told the Boston Herald.
"She said she was pro-choice. I don't assume she's going to change that, which is problematic,” Flynn added about Kennedy.
C.J. Doyle, executive director of the Massachusetts Catholic Action League, agreed with Flynn and said Obama’s potential nomination of Kennedy would be "a calculated insult to the Holy See."
"It’s inappropriate to appoint someone who pretends to be a Catholic but rejects the fundamental teachings of the Church," Doyle said.