List of ambassadors of the United States to the Holy See

Ambassador of the United States to the Holy See
Apostolicae Sedis Legatus Civitatum Foederatarum
U.S. Department of State official seal.svg
Seal of the United States Department of State
Joe Donnelly, U.S. Ambassador.jpg
Incumbent
Joe Donnelly
since April 11, 2022
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderWilliam A. Wilson
as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
FormationApril 9, 1984
DeputyTheodore Diehl
Websiteva.usembassy.gov

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.

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. 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.

History before formal diplomatic relations established

The United States had diplomatic relations with the Papal States from 1797 to 1867. The Papal States ceased to exist in 1870, when its last territory (the city of Rome) was lost to the Kingdom of Italy. After that, the international status of the Papacy was controversial until 1929, when the Italian government agreed to the establishment of Vatican City as a sovereign city-state.

The United States was slow to establish full diplomatic relations with the re-established Holy See, partly due to the prevalence of anti-Catholicism in the United States. 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 when the Postmaster General set sail for Europe, along with Soviet Commissar of Foreign Affairs Maxim Litvinoff on the Italian Liner SS Conte di Savoia. In Italy Farley had an audience with Pope Pius XI, and dinner with Cardinal Pacelli, who was to accede to the papacy in 1939. Myron Charles Taylor, an industrialist, philanthropist and diplomat (starting with World War II), served from December 1939 until 1950 as an emissary[clarification needed] to Pope Pius XII for Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman.

On October 20, 1951, Truman nominated Mark W. Clark, a U.S. Army general and World War II hero, to be emissary to the Holy See. Clark later withdrew his nomination on January 13, 1952, following protests from U.S. Senator Tom Connally from Texas and Protestant groups.

Between 1951 and 1968, the United States had no official representative accredited to the Holy See.

In 1969, President Richard Nixon changed this when he appointed—as his personal representative[clarification needed]Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., a former U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, Nixon's 1960 Republican vice presidential running mate and a former U.S. ambassador (to the United Nations, South Vietnam, and West Germany).

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter followed with the appointment of Robert F. Wagner, Jr., a former mayor of New York City and U.S. Ambassador to Spain.

Heads of the U.S. Legation at Rome (1848–1867)
Image Name and title Presentation of
credentials
Termination of
mission
Jacob L. Martin, Chargé d'Affaires August 19, 1848 August 26, 1848
Lewis Cass, Jr., Minister Resident November 19, 1849 November 27, 1858
John P. Stockton - Brady-Handy (cropped).jpg John P. Stockton, Minister Resident November 27, 1858 May 23, 1861
AWRandall.jpg Alexander Randall, Minister Resident June 6, 1862 August 4, 1862
Richard M. Blatchford (1798-1875), US Minister to the Vatican.jpg Richard Milford Blatchford, Minister Resident November 26, 1862 May 20, 1863
Rufus King Civil War General - Brady-Handy.jpg Rufus King, Minister Resident January 8, 1864 August 17, 1867

List of ambassadors

The following is a list of U.S. ambassadors to the Holy See:

Image Name Years served Pope U.S. President
William A. Wilson (cropped).jpg William Wilson 1984–1986 John Paul II Ronald Reagan
Frank Shakespeare (cropped).jpg Frank Shakespeare 1986–1989
Thomas P. Melady.jpg Thomas Patrick Melady 1989–1993 George H. W. Bush
Raymond Flynn (9516895999) (1).jpg Raymond Flynn 1993–1997 Bill Clinton
Ambassador Boggs.jpg Lindy Boggs 1997–2001
Jim Nicholson (cropped).jpg James Nicholson 2001–2005 George W. Bush
Francis Rooney.jpg Francis Rooney 2005–2008 Benedict XVI
Mary Ann Glendon ambassador.jpg Mary Ann Glendon 2008–2009
Miguel H Díaz.jpg Miguel H. Díaz 2009–2012 Barack Obama
Mario Mesquita (Chargé d'Affaires) 2012–2013
Ambassador Ken Hackett.jpg Ken Hackett 2013–2017 Francis
Callista Gingrich official photo (cropped).jpg Callista Gingrich 2017–2021 Donald Trump
Patrick Connell, Chargé d’Affaires.jpg Patrick Connell (Chargé d'Affaires) 2021–2022 Joe Biden
Joe Donnelly, U.S. Ambassador.jpg Joe Donnelly 2022–present

Vacancy controversies

In 2009, the post of ambassador remained vacant for several months because of tensions between the Vatican and the Obama Administration over the issues of abortion and same-sex marriage. Three candidates were mentioned, including Caroline Kennedy and Douglas Kmiec.

From November 2012 through mid-2013, the seat was also vacant, after Miguel H. Díaz left the office to teach at the University of Dayton. President Barack Obama nominated Ken Hackett, a longtime president of Catholic Relief Services, for the position in June 2013. Ken Hackett was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See on August 1, 2013.

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-06-15 05:29 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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