US/Ambassador/Holy See

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Employment.png US/Ambassador/Holy See 
(Ambassador to the Holy See)
Thomas Patrick Melady.jpg
Thomas Patrick Melady was George H. W. Bush's Ambassador. His first instruction, now declassified, was to influence the Vatican to recognize the state of Israel, something which was done a few years later in 1993.

StartApril 9, 1984
Websitehttp://vatican.usembassy.gov/
The United States ambassador to the Holy See

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.[1]

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.[2] 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.[3]

List of ambassadors

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

Name Years served Pope U.S. President
William Wilson 1984–1986 John Paul II Ronald Reagan
Frank Shakespeare 1986–1989
Thomas Patrick Melady 1989–1993 George H. W. Bush
Raymond Flynn 1993–1997 Bill Clinton
Lindy Boggs 1997–2001
James Nicholson 2001–2005 George W. Bush
Francis Rooney 2005–2008 Benedict XVI
Mary Ann Glendon 2008–2009
Miguel H. Díaz 2009–2012 Barack Obama
Mario Mesquita (Chargé d'Affaires)[4][5] 2012–2013
Ken Hackett 2013–2017 Francis
Callista Gingrich 2017–2021 Donald Trump
Patrick Connell (Chargé d'Affaires) 2021–2022 Joe Biden
Joe Donnelly 2022–present

References