Pope Francis exchanges greetings with Ken Hackett, U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, and his wife, Joan, during a meeting with ambassadors to the Holy See at the Vatican Jan. 13. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) (Jan. 13, 2014)
Why would a global, democratic superpower seek out and maintain diplomatic relations with the world’s smallest monarchical theocracy? While the United States and the Holy See have enjoyed diplomatic relations for nearly four decades, theirs is a formal relationship that took the better part of two centuries to develop. Throughout that time, the same questions were, rightly but repeatedly, litigated: Would relations with the Holy See lead the government to give an explicit preference to the Catholic Church in the United States? Would American presidents interfere with the selection of Catholic bishops? What is the tangible benefit of investing the time, resources and personnel in such a non-transactional relationship?