On August 4, the US Senate confirmed Miguel Diaz as the US ambassador to the Vatican. What makes this appointment so intriguing is that Diaz is a Catholic theologian, the first-ever to be appointed to this position. Often, diplomats have a political career history. Although Diaz was active in President Obama’s campaign, serving on the Catholic advisory group, he is by training and practice a theologian.
Until now, Diaz has been employed as a professor of theology at both St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN and at the College of St. Benedict, also in Minnesota. He was born in Cuba and is also the first Hispanic American to serve as ambassador.
It should be fascinating to watch the dialogue between the Vatican and the US during Diaz’s term. His ability to understand and apply theological language to our political actions should be a big plus all around. Stay tuned…
