Reagan re-established diplomatic relations with the Vatican in 1984!!

Diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the Vatican were broken off in 1865 because of the Vatican's support for the Confederacy and because the Pope sheltered John Surrett— the murderer of President Lincoln. The U.S. government decided to downplay the role of the Vatican in the rebellion lest there be a religious war in the country. The people were tired of fighting but they loved Lincoln so much that they would driven every Roman Catholic out of the country forever!!

In 1984, the Vatican sent a papal nuncio or Papal LEGATE to Washington and the U.S. sent an ambassador to Vatican City. The Italian government based in Rome already had an ambassador to this country. He is the ONLY legal representative of Rome and Italy to the United States. This didn't seem to bother Reagan because his first allegiance was to the Pope.

Originalas, pilna publikacija: http://www.reformation.org/reagan-and-pope.html

JAV Valstybės departamento pranešimas

US State Department

Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs

December 2008

Background Note: Holy See

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U.S.-HOLY SEE RELATIONS

The United States maintained consular relations with the Papal States from 1797 to 1870 and diplomatic relations with the Pope, in his capacity as head of the Papal States, from 1848 to 1868, though not at the ambassadorial level. These relations lapsed with the loss of all papal territories in 1870.

From 1870 to 1984, the United States did not have diplomatic relations with the Holy See. Several presidents, however, designated personal envoys to visit the Holy See periodically for discussions of international humanitarian and political issues. Myron C. Taylor was the first of these representatives, serving from 1939 to 1950. Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan also appointed personal envoys to the Pope.

The United States and the Holy See announced the establishment of diplomatic relations on January 10, 1984. On March 7, 1984, the Senate confirmed William A. Wilson as the first U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. Ambassador Wilson had been President Reagan's personal envoy to the Pope since 1981. The Holy See named Archbishop Pio Laghi as the first Apostolic Nuncio (equivalent to ambassador) of the Holy See to the U.S.

The U.S.-Holy See relationship is best characterized as an active global partnership for human dignity. Establishment of diplomatic relations has bolstered the frequent contact and consultation between the United States and the Holy See on many important international issues of mutual interest. The commitment to human dignity at the core of both the U.S. and Holy See approach to the world gives rise to a common agenda for action to promote religious freedom, justice, religious and ethnic tolerance, liberty, respect for women and children and for the rule of law.

Holy See priorities for 2008 include freedom of religion, inter-religious dialogue (particularly with the Muslim world), ecumenism, protection for the traditional family, and peace (particularly for the Middle East). Pope Benedict XVI has also publicly expressed concern over the issue of climate change, describing the protection of the environment as a moral responsibility to safeguard God's creation.

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Originalas, pilna publikacija: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3819.htm