President Obama Names Vatican Ambassador Who Backed Pro-Abortion Pols
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 28, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — President Barack Obama has nominated an ambassador to the Vatican, but the potential diplomat has supported pro-abortion politicians, including Obama himself. Obama has nominated Catholic college professor Miguel Diaz, who reportedly is pro-life but has compromised his views by backing Obama and others.
Diaz is a theology professor at St. John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict in Collegeville, Minnesota.
The nomination will likely cause heartburn for pro-life advocates because Diaz served as a member of Obama’s Catholic advisory board during his presidential campaign.
That someone like Diaz can claim to follow the pro-life teachings of the Catholic Church and assist an abortion advocate in becoming president won’t go unnoticed as the Senate confirmation process takes place.
Obama isn’t alone in earning Diaz’s support, as he also endorsed pro-abortion Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius and her nomination to become Obama’s health secretary.
Diaz was one of several Catholic college professors to support her bid, which prompted Cardinal Newman Society president Patrick Reilly to say they were "giving comfort and aid to those whose stated goals are to advance policies directly opposed to Catholic teachings on life issues."
“Given Gov. Sebelius’s abortion record and the concerns of her own bishop, it is sad that some of her strongest supporters are speaking out from their platforms on Catholic campuses,” he said.
Meanwhile, Diaz is a member of the speakers bureau for the fake pro-life Catholic organization Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, a pro-Obama front group that was repeatedly criticized during the presidential election for deceiving voters on Obama’s pro-abortion position.
The group eventually came under fire from Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, who said it had "done a disservice to the Church, confused the natural priorities of Catholic social teaching, undermined the progress pro-lifers have made, and provided an excuse for some Catholics to abandon the abortion issue instead of fighting within their parties and at the ballot box to protect the unborn.”
Catholic writer Deal Hudson has commented on the nomination and said his pro-abortion actions may go as far as prompting Vatican officials to reject the nomination.
“It will be interesting to watch how the confirmation process proceeds with Prof. Diaz," he said on his blog Inside Catholic.
"Questions will be asked about his suitability as a U. S. diplomat to the Holy See. The Holy See itself may express reservations about his visible support for a pro-abortion Catholic like Sec. Sebelius," he said.
Diaz is the co-editor of the book "From the Heart of Our People: Explorations in Catholic Systematic Theology" and author of "On Being Human: U.S. Hispanic and Rahnerian Perspectives."
Diaz taught Religious Studies and Theology at Barry University, the University of Dayton and the University of Notre Dame prior to his current post and he holds a PhD in Theology from the University of Notre Dame.
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