Another possible candidate is Stephen Schneck, a professor at the Catholic University of America. A board director on the Democrats for Life, he tried to make the case that the best way to prevent abortions was to try to alleviate poverty — a view many Catholics oppose, as the evidence for this is questionable. Professor John
CAVADINI
Cavadini, a theol- ogy professor at the University of Notre Dame, also is a favor- ite for some. Impar- tial and close to the
U.S. diplomats in Rome tell News-
max that these and other areas of policy convergence were expected to continue. One area of increasing con- cern to both parties is the Middle East, and sources say the region is expected to fi gure highly in rela- tions going forward. A number of
CAFARDI
potential candidates are being discussed in Rome, but the
pool of acceptable ones is small. One name frequently mentioned is that of Nicholas P. Cafardi, former dean and professor of law at Duquesne Univer- sity. In 2009, Cafardi criticized a “vocal minority” of U.S. bishops for being Republican Party “ward-heelers,” and claimed Obama’s healthcare policy was
SCHNECK
“unquestionably” coherent with Cath- olic social teaching — a view at odds with many U.S. bishops.
Vatican (he is a member of the Inter- national Theological Commission and a papal knight), he would check off many of the right boxes. The question is whether he would be comfortable representing the administration. As with other posts, rumors abound
that the administration may pick some- one well-known, perhaps a celebrity, to fi ll the post. The name Caroline Ken- nedy was fl oated in Obama’s fi rst term, and she may still be in the running this time around. Some are even
KENNEDY
suggesting, for a choice coming com- pletely out of left fi eld, comedian Stephen Colbert. A practicing Catho- lic and the youngest of 11 children, Colbert is a Sunday school teacher and has described himself as a Democrat. If the Obama admin- istration wanted to give the impression that it doesn’t take relations seriously, Colbert would be a feasible choice. Whoever
is COLBERT eventually chosen,
The Vatican at a Glance
Description: City-state capital of the Catholic Church; the world’s smallest sovereign nation
Size: 114 acres (New York’s Central Park, by comparison, spans 847 acres)
Origin: Roman Emperor Constantine gave the land to Pope Miltiades in 313 A.D.
Diplomatic Status: Nonvoting, permanent-observer member of the U.N. General Assembly
Location: Rome, Italy, on the bank of the Tiber river
Population: About 820 residents Language: Italian, but Latin is used for some of icial documents Form of Government: Elective theocracy Head of State: The Pope, Benedict XVI Known For: St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s Pieta, and the Pope’s colorful Swiss bodyguards Currency: The euro (although the Vatican is not a member of the European Union). The Vatican mints its own coins, which are highly sought after by collectors
U.S. diplomatic sources say any new ambassador to the Holy See is unlikely to be appointed until some months into Obama’s second term, as “weight- ier” and more pressing positions need to be fi lled fi rst.
MARCH 2013 | NEWSMAX 37
CAVADINI/COURTESY OF UNIV. OF NOTRE DAME / CAFARDI/MIKE THEILER/EPA/NEWSCOM / KENNEDY, COLBERT/AP IMAGES SCHNECK/COURTESY OF STEPHEN SCHNECK / VATICAN/LOUIS GRANDADAM/GETTY IMAGES
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