Vatican Radio Interview with US Ambassador to the Holy See

Vatican Radio had a interview with the new US . Ambassador to the Holy See, Mary Ann Glendon.(audio interview) The following excerpts I found here and are pretty interesting.

26 Mar 08 - RV) The United States Ambassador to the Holy See, Mary Ann Glendon, presented her credentials to Pope Benedict on February 29th of this year. Prior to her appointment, Ambassador Glendon was the Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1995, Pope John Paul II appointed her head of the Vatican delegation to the U.N. Conference on Women in Beijing.

In March 2004, the same Pope named her President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. In addition to teaching at Harvard, she has been a visiting professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Regina Apostolorum Athenaeum, both here in Rome. She sat down with Charles Collins for a 14 minute interview, discussing her work, Pope Benedict's upcoming trip to the United States, and her plans on marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Holy See.... HERE
ARE SOME EXCERPTS FROM THE INTERVIEW.

CHARLES COLLINS: YOU ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH ROME, AND HAVE SERVED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TABLE, AS IT WERE, REPRESENTING THE HOLY SEE IN VARIOUS CAPACITIES. WHAT EFFECT DOES THAT HAVE ON YOUR PRESENT POSITION?

Ambassador Glendon: Most of the work that I did for the Holy See over the past several years has been as an academic, as a person whose scholarly work and research was concentrated in fields that are central to the common concerns of the United States and the Holy See, human rights in particular, so the big transition for me is really from chiefly academic work to a more public and political role.


CC: YOU HAVE STARTED YOUR JOB, WELL YOU HAVE A RUNNING START BECAUSE NEXT MONTH THE POPE WILL BE VISITING THE UNITED STATES. HOW ARE THE PREPARATIONS GOING IN THE UNITED STATES FOR THIS VISIT?

Ambassador Glendon: The planning for the visit are largely in the hands of the Holy See on this end, and the American Catholic Bishops on the other end, and as far as I can see the preparations are well in place and there is a good deal of anticipation on both sides of the Atlantic about the visit.

CC: ON A POLITICAL LEVEL, THE POPE WILL BE MEETING WITH PRESIDENT BUSH IN THE WHITE HOUSE. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS ENCOUNTER?

Ambassador Glendon: The announcement from the White House is interesting. It is a very short announcement, but the wording is significant. It says that the Pope and the President will continue the discussions that they have been having about the role of faith and reason in advancing their shared goals. I think that is significant, because that word “continue” relates to the fact that apparently the last time they met they developed a personal relationship: They hit it off, so to speak. They both said afterward that they had enjoyed the conversation and the companionship of the other, so I think they have something to build on. And it is interesting that the announcement picked up the theme of faith and reason, which is so central to this pontificate. And then when the announcement went on to speak of the shared goals, it spoke of the common interest in promoting tolerance and understanding among cultures and religions. It spoke of promoting peace in the Middle East and other troubled regions. It spoke of promoting human rights and especially religious freedom.

CC: WE JUST MARKED THE FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE U.S. LED INVASION OF IRAQ. THE HOLY FATHER HAS BEEN CALLING ATTENTION TO THE PLIGHT OF CHRISTIANS AND OTHER RELIGIOUS MINORITIES IN IRAQ. LAST MONTH, THE ARCHBISHOP OF MOSUL, PAUL FARAJ RAHHO WAS MURDERED, THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF ATTACKS ON THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY. WHAT IS THE UNITED STATES DOING TO HELP PROTECT RELIGIOUS MINORITIES IN THE COUNTRY?

Ambassador Glendon: As you know both the president and the Holy Father issued statements after the murder of the Archbishop, statements that are very much in the same vein, condemning the violence, condemning terrorism, and especially condemning religion as a pretext for terrorism. And of course both the Holy See and the United States have as a central concern the plight of Christians and other minorities in Iraq. They have both pledged to do what they can, but it is a very difficult situation when there are elements in society that are determined to defeat the common aim of the United States and the Holy See, now, after some initial disagreement there is a common aim to promote the building of a free and democratic and stable society where persons of all religious faiths will be protected, but it is an uphill battle all the way. I think we are making some progress, but it is very, very difficult.