The Vatican\u2019s engagement with Venezuelan opposition leader Mar\u00eda Corina Machado, Francis Rooney said, likely had diplomatic intentions to strengthen her standing.<\/p>\n
Francis Rooney, former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, said Pope Leo XIV\u2019s papacy marks a period of opportunity for the Church in the U.S. in an interview this week with \u201cEWTN News In Depth.\u201d<\/p>\n
The former diplomat and congressman highlighted Leo\u2019s measured approach to diplomacy in light of U.S. involvement in Venezuela. \u201cHe\u2019s always calm, he\u2019s always careful, and he\u2019s very judicious in his comments,” Rooney said in a report that aired Jan. 16.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Holy See has a long tradition of intervening in hostage situations and situations of marginalized people or people under great stress and change, like a regime change,\u201d Rooney said.<\/p>\n
The Vatican\u2019s move to host opposition leader Mar\u00eda Corina Machado this week, he said, likely had diplomatic intentions to strengthen her standing. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s predictable that [Pope Leo XIV] would want to shore up her position on the international stage as well as he can,\u201d Rooney said. \u201cSo a pre-Trump meeting with the Holy Father is a global expression of her importance right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reacting to a speech by Pope Leo to diplomats at the Vatican, during which the Holy Father lamented that \u201cpeace is no longer sought as a gift and a desirable good,\u201d Rooney pointed out that while Leo does not do so in the same manner as Pope Francis, \u201che speaks very clearly and says a lot of the same things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c[Leo\u2019s] willing to call out bad activities by world leaders. He\u2019s willing to call out the actions of Trump undermining the post-World War II order and creating potential consequences of bad actions by other people like North Korea, Russia, China,\u201d he said, adding: \u201cHe\u2019s not at all like Pope Francis. He\u2019s calm, deliberate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rooney served as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See from 2005 to 2008. He was a Republican member of the U.S. House from Florida from 2017 to 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Church has a love-hate relationship with the United States. They resent our power, but they love our money, and they love our number of Catholics in the United States,\u201d he said. \u201cSo this is an opportunity for Pope Leo to close that gap, earn more respect for the United States for the important role it plays in the Church, and also in Latin America.\u201d<\/p>\n
U.S. President Donald Trump met with Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, on Jan. 12. Rooney, whose congressional Florida district included Fort Myers and Naples, speculated the closed meeting likely revolved around immigration.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have Alligator Alcatraz down here near where we live, and a lot of migrants are being kicked out of the country who have no criminal record,\u201d Rooney said. \u201cI think most Americans would agree that we need workers. If theyve been living here a long time, some of their kids have gone to school with our kids, they should be able to stay and have an orderly rational plan for citizenship like President George W. Bush tried to accomplish but didn\u2019t get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the other hand, if they\u2019re criminals, they should go. I don\u2019t think anybody would argue that we shouldn\u2019t police the border and have a strong border,\u201d he said, concluding that Coakley and the president likely \u201cspoke about that a great deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
This article was originally published by EWTN News.<\/p>\n