Despite Iraq war, ambassador says U.S.-Vatican cooperation flourishes

Published: 2004-01-02

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- With bombs dropping in Baghdad, Iraq, and words flying at the Vatican, 2003 was not an easy year for U.S. ambassador to the Vatican Jim Nicholson. The war in Iraq created a diplomatic minefield for Nicholson as he pressed Vatican officials for some level of support -- or at least understanding -- of the U.S. position: that it was time to use armed force against Saddam Hussein. As the U.S.-led "war on terrorism" advanced in other ways, the Vatican raised questions about the wider legal and political implications. Sometimes it seemed like open season on the world's only superpower, with cardinals, Vatican experts and Catholics scholars weighing in with critical comments. But despite the perception of tensions U.S.-Vatican relations have weathered 2003 with remarkable resilience, Nicholson said in an end-of-the-year interview with Catholic News Service Dec. 30. Cooperation between the U.S. government and the Vatican far outweighed areas of disagreement, the ambassador said, primarily because of a shared interest in promoting human dignity, religious freedom and other basic values around the world.

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