Kennedy appointment to Vatican scotched

Just last week, her name emerged as a possible ambassador to the Vatican. News outlets reported that Senator John Kerry (the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee) recommended her for the role, lobbying U.S. President Barack Obama, who makes the appointments, on her behalf. 

The rumor sparked outrage among Catholic groups, because Kennedy, who is Catholic, supports abortion rights, which the church vehemently opposes. One called it an “insult,” saying, “It’s inappropriate to appoint someone who pretends to be a Catholic but rejects the fundamental teachings of the church.”

It seems that the Vatican has crossed names off of Obama’s list. “At least three names…have been ‘burned’ even before the proposal of nomination could be made formally, because they were unwelcome to the church,” one Italian journalist wrote, as translated by the Washington Times. (The Vatican denies the allegation.)

The United States has never appointed a pro-choice ambassador to the Holy See. 

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