Former ambassador to the Vatican: Caroline Kennedy would be wrong choice

Boston, Mass., Apr 14, 2009 / 11:22 am

In an interview with the Boston Herald on Good Friday, former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Raymond L. Flynn said Caroline Kennedy would be a "mistake" as a pick for his former diplomatic post.

“It’s imperative, it’s essential that the person who represents us to the Holy See be a person who has pro-life values. I hope the president doesn’t make that mistake,” Flynn told the Herald on Friday. “She said she was pro-choice. I don’t assume she’s going to change that, which is problematic.”

Flynn said that while he understands the famous Kennedy clan is close to Obama, selecting Caroline could hurt the new president politically.

According to the Italian magazine Panorama, Sen. John F. Kerry has asked Obama to consider Caroline Kennedy for the Vatican ambassadorship.

Flynn, a former mayor of Boston and a veteran Democrat, took out several ads during the 2004 presidential campaign scolding then-Democratic presidential nominee Kerry for his pro-choice stance.

“I don’t know how they get out of this. I don’t know how they effectively deal with it now. They need to find someone who is a pro-life Democrat,” Flynn said of the Obama administration. “The president is going to Rome in July and it’s very important that there be an ambassador on the ground at that time.”

The Massachusetts Catholic Action League has also stated that the potential appointment of Caroline Kennedy as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican is unacceptable.

Action League Executive Director C.J. Doyle said Kennedy, daughter of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, shouldn't be offered the Vatican ambassador post since she "rejects" the Roman Catholic Church's teachings, the Boston Herald reported Friday.

"It's inappropriate to appoint someone who pretends to be a Catholic but rejects the fundamental teachings of the church," Doyle said.

On April 10th, Vatican spokesman, Rev. Federico Lombardi, said there was "no truth" to the reports claiming the Vatican has rejected several candidates for U.S. ambassador to the Holy See because of their support for abortion.

But this past Saturday, Vatican sources told the Italian paper Il Giornale that Ms. Kennedy and other Roman Catholics floated by President Barack Obama for the ambassadorship were disqualified by their support for abortion.

President Obama was reportedly seeking to reward John F. Kennedy's daughter, who publicly gave her support to his election bid. She had been poised to replace Hillary Clinton as New York senator, but dropped out amid criticism that she lacked enough experience for the job.