Vatican Official Says Kmiec Will Not Become New Vatican Ambassador
(Hat tip: Christopher Blosser at Catholics in the Public Square)
From Catholic News Agency:
Vatican City, Nov 25, 2008 / 03:22 pm (CNA).- An official from the Vatican's Secretary of State department has reacted to the recent suggestion that Pepperdine professor Douglas Kmiec should become the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican by saying, "it will never happen."(emphasis added)
On November 23, America Magazine published a blog entry from Michael Sean Winters describing Professor Douglas Kmiec, the former Republican pro-lifer who became Obama’s top Catholic apologist during the presidential campaign, as "the perfect candidate" to become U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See.
***
CNA presented Winters' arguments to an official of the Secretary of State, who offered his reaction on a strict condition of anonymity. His answer at Kmiec’s chances of becoming an Ambassador: "It will never happen."
The official noted that prominent American Catholics at the Vatican - such as Cardinal James Francis Stafford or Archbishop Raymond Burke - look at Kmiec as a "traitor," and "their opinion will certainly count heavily."
But most importantly, the official said, is that the Holy See will not risk alienating vital U.S. Catholic organizations like the Knights of Columbus or the American branch of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, "whose role in the life of the universal Church is decisive, and who have already expressed publicly their disappointment with Kmiec's role in the recent elections."
***
"If the office [the Vatican's Secretary of State] withholds the 'placet' –the official acceptance—from the appointees from Argentina and France, it could easily do the same [to Kmiec]" because "[we] would not risk alienating many U.S. Catholic organizations."
The Secretary of State official was referring to the recent Vatican decisions to deny the ‘placet’ to a French Ambassador to the Vatican because he was openly homosexual and to an Argentinean because he was divorced and remarried.
"Of course Mr. Kmiec is in neither of those situations, but for the Secretary of State it is far more important to maintain a good relationship with, say, Mr. Anderson (the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus,) who is an active member of several Vatican dicasteries, than to please Mr. Kmiec and his friends in the new administration."
"Those who the article refers so disrespectfully as 'extremists on the right,' or 'the far right political fringe,' are the serious, loyal Catholics [the Vatican] precisely takes into account, because they are the ones who are there when the Church needs them," the official also explained.
Finally, regarding Winters’ claim that "Kmiec could do for the Democratic administration what (Mary Ann) Glendon has done for its predecessor," the official told CNA: "to be charitable, I will just say that I seriously doubt it."
Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Kmiec's Payoff? [UPDATED]
Labels: Dissident Catholics, Obama, Vatican
posted by Pro Ecclesia 12:00 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Being a fan of Mary Ann Glendon, I loved the last (charitable) line.
Doug Kmiec stated at his lecture at St. John's Seminary on November 12th that if the pope personally called him to tell him he was wrong he would recant.
"In audience questions following the lecture, a priest proposed a hypothetical situation in which Kmiec has a telephone conversation with Pope Benedict. The priest asked whether Kmiec would ask for further explanation of the letter to the U.S. bishops concerning proportionality in voting decisions.
Kmiec stated that if the Pope said, “Doug, you’re wrong,” he would then have to tear out the first 174 pages of his pro-Obama book and stand with the Magisterium."
Here is the link:
http://catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=14344
I think the article probably had a good source because I live two towns away from St. John's Seminary and there quote about Father Eberhardt, (the deceased priest who the lecture series was named after), that was spot on.
Kmiec is a little grandiose but let's all get in touch with the Pope and ask him to call.
It would be a great embarrassment to the Obama administration. It'll be interesting to see this play out next year.
"Kmiec stated that if the Pope said, “Doug, you’re wrong,” he would then have to tear out the first 174 pages of his pro-Obama book and stand with the Magisterium."
HELLO!!! McFly!!!!
If he has to get a personal correction from his Holiness, then Kmiec is a bigger narrowback than I give him credit for!
And he doesn't even get Wales. Part of me would very much like to have the Obama administration pick a fight with the Vatican but I doubt if they are that foolish. Kmiec will probably receive the usual reward of turncoats: scorn from those they have abandoned and hidden scorn from those they have embraced.
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