[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 65 (Friday, April 7, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E817-E819]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


          THE EMBASSY'S 11 YEARS OF WORKING WITH THE HOLY SEE

                                 ______


                         HON. THOMAS J. MANTON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, April 6, 1995
  Mr. MANTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with my colleagues 
some thoughtful remarks delivered by my friend, the Honorable Raymond 
L. Flynn, the United States Ambassador to the Vatican.
  In this excerpt of a recent speech delivered by the Ambassador he 
discusses the important relationship between the Vatican and the U.S. 
Embassy to the Holy See. The Ambassador eloquently describes the role 
morality and a humanitarian spirit should play in the United States 
international policy. I urge my colleagues to read Ambassador Flynn's 
remarks and consider the special role that believers of all faiths can 
play in ensuring our world becomes a better place.
          The Embassy's 11 Years of Working With the Holy See

       While the initiative on humanitarian aid delivery is new, 
     it is not out of character with the close cooperation between 
     the U.S. and the Holy See since formal diplomatic relations 
     were established in 1984.
       In the eleven years of full diplomatic relations, the U.S. 
     Embassy to the Holy See has actively pursued U.S. foreign 
     policy goals by working closely with the Vatican on 
     political, economic, and social concerns, The U.S. has worked 
     closely with the Vatican on the UN population conference in 
     Cairo to produce a workable final document. We pursued our 
     joint goals of sustainable and equitable development at the 
     Copenhagen conference on social development held at the 
     beginning of March. At the conference, Hillary Rodham Clinton 
     made a strong appeal to the world community not to forget the 
     most blatant victims of poverty in society today, women and 
     children. The same compassionate appeal was delivered to the 
     conference on behalf of Pope John Paul II by Monsignor 
     Diarmuid Martin, the Catholic Church representative at the 
     conference. The Catholic Church's view of what needs to be 
     done to alleviate the suffering, pain, and lack of 
     development in the Third World is, for the most part, not in 
     conflict with what Mrs. Clinton told the conference nor with 
     the Clinton Administration's stated policy. But it does 
     conflict greatly with the views contained in the Contract 
     with America and with the views of those in Congress who 
     advocate budget-cutting at the expense of the poor and 
     needy--at home and abroad. It is one thing to call for a 
     balanced budget amendment to the Constitution; it is another 
     to try to achieve such an amendment with the unbalanced 
     policy of targeting poor and working families.


                           fall of communism

       Working towards common goals was also true in the case of 
     the birth of democratic movements in Eastern Europe. The 
     Catholic Church in
      general and Pope John Paul II in particular were 
     instrumental, through work and example, in demonstrating 
     the illegitimacy of the communist regimes. The U.S. and 
     the Vatican worked together to support nonviolent 
     opposition groups such as Poland's Solidarity. Soviet 
     President Gorbachev has said the Pope was the most 
     important cause of the fall of communism. It was 
     remarkably perceptive and visionary of the College of 
     Cardinals to elect Karol Wojtyla of Poland, who had lived 
     and worked under communism in his native land. I 
     personally saw the moral influence of Pope John Paul II at 
     the height of political instability in Eastern Europe. I 
     attended Catholic Church services with outlawed Solidarity 
     workers at St. Brigid's Church in Gdansk and at the Lenin 
     shipyards when a letter of support and encouragement sent 
     by the Pope inspired people throughout the church and 
     country.
       Pope John Paul kept the Solidarity movement alive, which 
     led ultimately to the fall of communism in Poland and 
     inspired other Eastern bloc countries to move towards 
     democracy.
       Another example of convergence in policy goals was in the 
     arena of human rights and religious freedom. The Holy See, as 
     a full member of the Helsinki Process, drafted the language 
     on religious freedom that set the benchmark against which the 
     failings of totalitarian regimes could be measured.
       The Embassy worked with the Vatican on several aspects of 
     the crises in Central America during the 1980's. When 
     Panamanian strongman Gen. Noriega took refuge in the papal 
     nuncio's residence on Christmas Eve 1990, the Embassy 
     negotiated his departure.
       The Embassy had the unique opportunity to be involved with 
     peacemaking in 1990-92 when it acted as observer and 
     facilitator at the Rome talks between the two warring 
     factions in Mozambique. The talks concluded successfully with 
     a cease-fire in October 1992.
       The Embassy has recently followed the Algerian national 
     reconciliation talks which were held in Rome involving the 
     main Algerian opposition parties. This process has a real 
     chance to achieve peace in a country where thousands have 
     already died in fighting.
                    historic catholic-jewish accord

       Our Embassy has been particularly active in furthering 
     U.S.-Holy See cooperation on a number of issues. At the 
     direction of President Clinton, we actively pursued 
     establishing full diplomatic relations between the Holy See 
     and Israel; this historic achievement was accomplished in 
     1993. I met extensively with Israeli political and religious 
     officials in the cause of furthering Christian-Jewish and 
     Vatican-Israeli understanding. At the same time, I keep close 
     contact with the Catholic hierarchy that represents Lebanese 
     and Palestinian peoples and others who do not yet feel full 
     partners in the Middle East peace process. Holy See-Israel 
     relations was the first topic President Clinton raised with 
     the Pope at their first meeting in Denver in August 1993. 
     During their discussion, 
     [[Page E818]] the President highlighted three important 
     outcomes of Holy See-Israel relations: they would help to 
     further the peace process in the Middle East; show that two 
     great religious faiths can bury centuries of misunderstanding 
     and work together; and deal a blow to anti-Semitism around 
     the world. These achievements are all in U.S., as well as 
     Vatican, interest.
       Humanitarian issues have always been prominent in my work 
     at the Vatican, since they are extremely important both to 
     the U.S. and the Holy See. In November 1993, I traveled to 
     central Africa to visit AIDS hospitals in Uganda and relief 
     workers in Sudan, and stayed with humanitarian 
     representatives in Somalia. Over the past many months, my 
     travels have taken me to such wide-ranging places as Haiti to 
     meet with Catholic Church and business leaders and Paris to 
     meet with President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. In April 1994, I 
     was in Sarajevo and, in September 1994, visited Croatia and 
     saw firsthand the devastation of the former Yugoslavia. While 
     in Sarajevo, I met with Muslim, Jewish, and Catholic Church 
     leaders. I put the issue of religious freedom in Asia on the 
     agenda for a meeting in Rome between Secretary of State 
     Warren Christopher, National Security Advisor Tony Lake, 
     Cardinal Angelo Sodano, and Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran.


                          open door diplomacy

       Another aspect of our work at the Vatican occurs outside 
     the office and involves reaching out to groups across the 
     religions spectrum. During my time in Rome, I have hosted at 
     the Ambassador's residence a group of black Baptists, various 
     Jewish groups, a Catholic-Mormon choir from Salt Lake City, 
     Muslims from Egypt, prominent Cardinals, and a great number 
     of Italian and American church leaders. This Embassy is in a 
     prime position to show the importance to the U.S. government 
     of all religious and beliefs, and I have actively pursued 
     that role in Rome. The Embassy actively supported the 
     historic Holocaust remembrance ceremony held at the Vatican 
     in 1994 which brought together for the first time the Chief 
     Rabbi of Rome, Elio Toaff, the Pope, the Italian president, 
     and others to commemorate the Shoah within Vatican City.
       The Vatican has an impressive if low-key record in dealing 
     with the most important issues of social and economic justice 
     on the world stage. The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See has 
     worked closely with the Vatican on these issues, since our 
     goals are the same on so many issues. I look forward to 
     continuing cooperation on the important and critical issues 
     that will confront us in the future. In naming Pope John Paul 
     II its 1994 ``Man of the Year,'' Time referred to the Pope as 
     the world's foremost defender of human rights. It is thus 
     most fitting that the
      U.S. should be one of the more than 150 countries with an 
     ambassador to him and to the central government of the 
     Catholic Church.

               A Brief History of U.S.-Vatican Relations

       As we look to the future, I always find it helpful to keep 
     in mind the past, in this case the long ties that have bound 
     the U.S. and the Holy See together. The relationship itself 
     has over two hundred years of history behind it. The first 
     contact was in 1788 when a Vatican official contacted Ben 
     Franklin, then the nascent repubic's representative in Paris. 
     The Vatican wanted to know if the U.S. had any objections to 
     the appointment of John Carroll as first bishop of Baltimore. 
     Franklin's reaction was immediate and unequivocal; the new 
     government guaranteed freedom of religion and had no interest 
     in the internal affairs of the Catholic Church. Rome never 
     asked for approval again, and the tradition of strictly 
     separating Church business from diplomacy has been a hallmark 
     of American governmental dealings with the Vatican ever 
     since.
       Until 1870, the Pope was also the temporal ruler of the 
     city of Rome and much of central Italy. Washington maintained 
     consular and diplomatic relations with the Papal government 
     and in 1848 sent a charge d'affaires to head a legation. The 
     mission was closed at the end of 1867 when Congress, fired by 
     anti-Catholic sentiment, voted gainst funding it. In 1870, 
     the King of Italy conquered Rome and the Pope withdrew inside 
     the Vatican walls.
       There were no formal diplomatic links between the Vatican 
     and Washington until 1939. During that time, any business 
     that arose, such as when President Harding encouraged the 
     Pope to establish an American Catholic parish in Rome, was 
     handled through the Vatican's apostolic delegate in 
     Washington or through the American hierarchy.


                  pope leo xiii and fdr: unspoken ties

       President Franklin D. Roosevelt made the first steps 
     towards reestablishing diplomatic links when he sent Joseph 
     Kennedy as his personal representative to the
      coronation of Pope Pius XII in 1939. Roosevelt, as much as 
     any president, knew the invaluable nature of strong ties 
     to the Vatican, both diplomatically abroad and politically 
     at home, including the Vatican's important role in efforts 
     to avert war and assist refugees and other displaced 
     people. President Roosevelt was aware of papal encyclicals 
     such as Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, which had 
     such a profound impact on the rights of working men and 
     women in the United States. Former FDR aide and Postmaster 
     General James Farley once told me that President Roosevelt 
     was guided by this historic encyclical when crafting his 
     ``New Deal'' social and economic programs during the great 
     depression.
       President Roosevelt began dealing with the Holy See through 
     various channels, including an American monsignor on the 
     Pope's staff. That October, the President discussed with 
     Archbishop Spellman of New York the idea of appointing a 
     ``personal representative'' to the Vatican, thus avoiding the 
     need for Senate approval, as would be the case were an 
     ambassador to be named. Roosevelt correctly realized that the 
     Senate, influenced by fears that a Vatican Embassy might get 
     improperly involved in mixing church and state, would oppose 
     appointing an ambassador. A personal representative was able 
     to do the same things, anyway.
       Roosevelt announced on Christmas eve 1939, that he was 
     sending Myron Taylor as his personal representative to the 
     Vatican to forward ``parallel endeavors for peace and the 
     alleviation of suffering.'' Myron Taylor was a former 
     president of U.S. Steel and active in refugee affairs. He was 
     not a Catholic, which alleviated fears by some that he might 
     have mixed loyalties.
       Since Taylor's arrival in Rome in February 1940, the United 
     States government has been a privileged interlocutor of the 
     Vatican. In Taylor's case, he first began a dialogue on 
     Jewish and Eastern European refugees, as well as on Holy See 
     efforts to prevent a general war. This reflected President 
     Roosevelt's perception of the wide-ranging possibilities in 
     the new Vatican-U.S. relationship.
       When Italy entered the war in June 1940, Mussolini's 
     government forced diplomats accredited to the Holy See to 
     leave Italy. When the U.S. and Italy went to war in December 
     1941, it meant the U.S. Mission also had to move into cramped 
     quarters within Vatican City so it could carry on its work.
      Special Envoy Taylor only visited the Vatican briefly during 
     the war years, but the work was carried on by U.S. 
     diplomat Harold Tittmann. He lived with his wife and two 
     sons in a small apartment within the Vatican until Rome's 
     liberation in June 1944. In addition to covering the 
     Pope's efforts on behalf of peace and refugees, Charge 
     Tittmann and his British colleague quietly aided many 
     escaped Allied soldiers and airmen who sought refuge in 
     Rome.
       Myron Taylor resigned as Special Envoy in 1950 and 
     President Truman nominated Gen. Mark Clark, the liberator of 
     Rome, as his successor, but with the title of Ambassador. 
     That caused such a strong reaction among some of America's 
     Protestant denominations that the nomination was withdrawn. 
     The practice of nominating a special presidential 
     representative to deal with the Vatican was not resumed until 
     President Nixon appointed Henry Cabot Lodge, former Senator 
     and Republican nominee for Vice President, in 1969. President 
     Carter named David Walters envoy in 1977 and later named 
     former New York Mayor Robert Wagner, Jr., in 1978.
       It was President Reagan's Special Representative, William 
     Wilson, who worked ceaselessly to have the mission to the 
     Holy See upgraded to Embassy status. Times had changed and 
     there was little opposition when full diplomatic relations 
     were established between the United States and the Holy See 
     in January 1984. Ambassador Wilson was succeeded in 1986 by 
     Ambassador Frank Shakespeare, and in 1989 by Ambassador 
     Thomas P. Melady. While some may be unclear as to the nature 
     of Vatican-United States relations, it is very clear to U.S. 
     Presidents, Republicans and Democrats alike.


                      new home for vatican embassy

       On November 9, 1994, the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See 
     dedicated its new chancery on Rome's historic Aventine Hill. 
     The building, built as a private home in the 1950's, has been 
     completely refurbished to house offices appropriate to the 
     Embassy's important and unique mission. It has a commanding 
     view of the Circus Maximus and the ruins of the palaces of 
     Augustus and Septimius Severus. Livy claimed that Remus stood 
     on this spot when he challenged Romulus for control of the 
     ancient city. Later, the Emperor Decius built public baths on 
     the site; in modern times, the Aventine has been a desirable
      residential area which includes several of the earliest 
     Christian churches, as well as the Priory of the Knights 
     of Malta.


                    summary: building for the future

       I hope this discussion has given you a better idea of the 
     important work that the U.S. and the Holy See carry out 
     together. We are able to cooperate on a range of issues 
     because our interests so often coincide. President Clinton 
     has often told me of the high regard he has for Pope John 
     Paul's judgment and leadership. But it is also because of 
     President Clinton's judgment and leadership that we will be 
     able to build on our successful partnership with the Vatican 
     to achieve a more just world, one in which humanitarian 
     issues get the attention they deserve.
       When we act as a nation in a moral and ethical way, 
     practicing the policy of compassion and inclusion, we are 
     also carrying out sound policy. We do things best when we do 
     the right things. While we don't always agree with the 
     Vatican on some important issues, we often work together for 
     the same goals on issues of social and economic justice and 
     humanitarian assistance.
       On March 1, the Pope told me how pleased he was to be once 
     again visiting the U.S. in October. It's the first time 
     anyone can remember that the Pope and a U.S. President have 
     met with each other in three consecutive years, and this 
     unprecedented series of meetings attests to the important 
     open dialogue we have with the Vatican. The Pope's 
     [[Page E819]] visit will give the U.S. the chance to develop 
     our relationship even further. It really is a historic 
     partnership.
     

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