An outfit called Americans United for Separation of Church and State is, understandably, not pleased.
When U.S.-Vatican ties were proposed during the Reagan administration, Americans United vigorously opposed the move and warned that there would be problems down the line. It just wasn’t right, AU argued, for the U.S. government to have formal diplomatic relations with a church. . .
Americans United tried to raise some of these issues in court, challenging the diplomatic exchange on church-state grounds. Unfortunately, a federal appeals court refused to deal with the issue and dismissed the lawsuit on a technicality, saying AU did not even have the right to even bring the case.
So now it appears that not only must the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican be Catholic, they must oppose legal abortion as well. I wonder what other qualifications a potential ambassador must meet? Must he or she oppose same-sex marriage as well? Can he or she be divorced? Will someone check up on the candidate to make certain he or she attends mass every week?
Imposing such qualifications on ambassadors would seem to violate the clear provisions of Article VI of the Constitution, which bans religious tests for federal office.
I just investigated and holy crap! Canada has an ambassador to the Holey Sea too! Who knew? (Paging deBeauxOs . . . )
Today, Good Friday, the rumour mill has coughed up the fourth candidate for the US job -- Caroline Kennedy. Somehow, I don't think His Poopiness will be any better pleased, even if she is a celeb of sorts.
UPPITY-DATE: The Pope says 'nope' to Caroline.
5 comments:
Harper's government appointed our newest Ambassador, Anne Leahy, to the Holy See on October 30, 2008. She's a career diplomat who also had the federal responsibility of organizing the big World (catlick) Youth Day In 2002, a full week event which included a visit from Pope John Paul II.
Hee. The Poop Fest?
Bwhahahahahha!
Forgot to add, they say shit rises :-)
Two things: In the summer of 2002, during that Catholic Youth meet in Toronto, supplies of condoms in the city were seriously depleted. Just saying. And isn't Caroline Kennedy separated or something from her husband? That doesn't bode well for her nomination.
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