Fossella Appeals for Action On Holy See Envoy Nominee
A New York congressman is pushing the Senate to approve the Bush administration's nominee for a new ambassador to the Holy See before the pope visits New York in April.
In a letter sent to several senators yesterday, Rep. Vito Fossella attempted to boost the fading chances for President Bush's pick, Mary Ann Glendon, a Harvard Law School professor and former adviser to both Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and Pope John Paul II.
Mr. Fossella blamed Democrats for stalling on the approval, saying they should "put politics aside and dignify the visit of his Holiness with an ambassador confirmed by the time of the visit."
The current ambassador, Francis Rooney, resigned and will likely leave office before spring.
Ms. Glendon's critics have noted her opposition to abortion rights, gay marriage, and views on contraception, which reportedly match that of the Vatican.
According to an article in the Boston Globe, Ms. Glendon has also downplayed the clergy sexual abuse scandal.
Ms. Glendon has also received criticism from the right, with a report in the American Spectator noting that a Republican senator placed the original hold on her nomination.
According to the report, right-leaning Republicans questioned her "social conservative bona fides" because of her links to Mr. Romney, who once favored abortion rights.
