SEPTEMBER 7, 2014 |
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THE GLOBAL
VATICAN |
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www.FRANCISROONEY.COM
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Francis
Rooney served as United States
Ambassador to the Holy See under George
W. Bush from 2005–2008. He is Chief
Executive Officer of Rooney Holdings,
Inc.
In his new book, THE GLOBAL VATICAN,
Ambassador Rooney provides an
unprecedented inside look at the
Catholic Church, its role in world
politics and diplomacy, and the
extraordinary relationship between the
United States and the Holy See.
Ambassador Rooney serves as a member of
the Advisory Board of the Panama Canal
Authority, a member of the Council of
American Ambassadors, and a Trustee of
the Center for the Study of the
Presidency and Congress. He is a
graduate of Georgetown University and
Georgetown University Law Center. He
also has Honorary Degrees from the
University of Notre Dame and the
University of Dallas. |
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Book: |
From
the centuries-long prejudices against Catholics in
America, to the efforts of Fascism, Communism and
modern terrorist organizations to “break the cross
and spill the wine,” this book brings to life the
Catholic Church’s role in world history,
particularly in the realm of diplomacy. Former U.S.
ambassador to the Holy See Francis Rooney provides a
comprehensive guide to the remarkable path the
Vatican has navigated to the present day, and a
first-person account of what that path looks and
feels like from an American diplomat whose
experience lent him the ultimate insider’s
perspective. Part memoir, part historical lesson,
The Global Vatican captures the braided nature of
religious and political power and the complexities,
battles, and future prospects for the relationship
between the Holy See and the United States as both
face challenges old and new. |
Click to purchase book |
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SHOW INFORMATION: |
THE GLOBAL VATICAN
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AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, WORLD
POLITICS,
AND THE EXTRAORDINARY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE
UNITED STATES AND THE HOLY SEE |
By Ambassador Francis Rooney |
Washington, DC—During a period of immense change and
challenge for the United States, the Catholic
Church, and the world, Francis Rooney served as U.S.
Ambassador to the Holy See, the governing body of
the Catholic Church, under George W. Bush from 2005
to 2008. His new book captures the interwoven nature
of religious and political power and the
complexities, battles, and future prospects for the
relationship between the Holy See and the United
States as both face challenges old and new.
In THE GLOBAL VATICAN (Rowman & Littlefield,
November 2013), Ambassador Francis Rooney provides
an unprecedented inside look at the Catholic Church,
its role in world politics and diplomacy, and the
extraordinary relationship between the United States
and the Holy See. He argues that U.S. foreign policy
has much to gain from its relationship with the Holy
See, and vice versa. No institution on earth has
both the international stature and the global reach
of the Holy See—the “soft power” of moral influence
and authority to promote religious freedom, human
liberties, and related values that Americans and our
allies uphold worldwide.
The timing of Francis Rooney’s assignment to the
Holy See came at a momentous period for both America
and the Catholic Church. America was four years out
from 9/11 and locked in difficult wars in two
countries, including a conflict in Iraq—of which the
Holy See had strongly and vocally disapproved. The
Bush Administration was making progress in bringing
democracy, freedom, and stability to Iraq and
Afghanistan, but it was difficult on both fronts.
And the Catholic Church had its own challenges—the
first of these facing Pope Benedict XVI was
succeeding the beloved Pope John Paul II. A decline
of active participation and growing secularization
in much of the Western world threatened the Church
at the same time that the abuse scandal continued to
expand. Still, the Church remained a powerful moral
voice in the world, and Rooney worked with the Holy
See to achieve as much diplomatic alignment as
possible on crucial issues.
As Francis Rooney argues, the United States and the
Holy See remain two of the most significant
institutions in world history, one a beacon of
democracy and progress, the other a sanctum of faith
and allegiance to timeless principles. Despite these
differences between the first modern democracy and
the longest surviving Western monarchy, Rooney
maintains that both were founded on the idea that
“human persons” possess inalienable natural rights
granted by God. This had been a revolutionary
concept when the Catholic Church embraced it 2,000
years ago, and was equally revolutionary when the
Declaration of Independence stated it 1,800 years
later.
Given our mutual respect for human rights, it seems
obvious that America and the Catholic Church would
be natural friends and collaborators in world
affairs. But this wasn’t the case for nearly 200
years of American history. As THE GLOBAL VATICAN
demonstrates, both the United States and the Holy
See had to overcome deeply held convictions and
perceptions—entrenched anti-Catholicism on the part
of Americans; antidemocratic, monarchical reflexes
on the part of the Holy See. President Reagan
established full diplomatic relations with the Holy
See in 1984 because, among other reasons, he
realized that he could have no better partner than
Pope John Paul II in the fight against communism—and
he was right. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the
Holy See has continued to play a crucial role as a
diplomatic force while maintaining formal relations
with 179 countries—a number surpassed only by the
United States.
The Church is one of the leading advocates and
providers for the poor in the world, fights against
the scourge of human trafficking, and advances the
cause of human dignity and rights more than any
other organization in the world. The Holy See also
plays a significant role in pursuing diplomatic
solutions to international predicaments, whether,
for example, promoting peace between Israel and
Palestine, helping end the civil war in Lebanon, or
helping to secure the release of nearly one hundred
political prisoners from Cuba in 2010.
Francis Rooney contends in THE GLOBAL VATICAN that
American values and foreign policy goals can be
advanced in many parts of the world, including the
Middle East, China, Latin America, Cuba, and Africa,
through closer diplomatic ties with the Holy See. He
notes that the past few years have seen cordial but
cooling relations as President Obama has visited the
Vatican just once since taking office, and the Obama
Administration has demonstrated little more than a
perfunctory interest in the Holy See’s diplomatic
role in the world. This is a regrettable lost
opportunity.
The power and influence of the Holy See is often
underestimated. A benevolent monarchy tucked into a
corner of a modern democracy, the Holy See is at
once a universally recognized sovereign—representing
more than a billion people (one seventh of the
world’s population)—and the civil government of the
smallest nation-state on earth. It has no military
and only a negligible economy, but it has greater
reach and influence than most nations. It’s not
simply the number or variety of people that the Holy
See represents that gives it relevance; it’s also
the moral influence of the Church, which is still
considerable despite secularization and scandals.
As THE GLOBAL VATICAN illustrates, the Holy See
advocates powerfully for morality in the lives of
both Catholics and non-Catholics, and in both
individuals and nations. One may disagree with some
of the Church’s positions and yet still recognize
the value—the real and practical value—of its
insistence that “right” should precede “might” in
world affairs. At its core, the Catholic Church is a
powerful and unique source of noncoercive “soft
power” on the world stage—it moves people to do the
right thing by appealing to ideals and shared
values, rather than to fear and brute force.
There are limits to the Church’s ability to
influence the actions of societies and nations, of
course, because it cannot force its will with
economic or military leverage. But it is precisely
in these failings that its greatness lies—the Church
appeals above and beyond might, money, or political
power to a deeper recognition in human beings of
what is good and right. Ultimately, the Church has
power through its consistent defense of enduring
principles—it stands for the same thing every day,
and in every place.
As the author and historian Hilaire Belloc put it,
“the Church is a perpetually defeated thing that
always outlives her conquerors.” And Francis Rooney
proves that there is much good still to come from
the Church, especially in areas where the Holy See
and the United States find themselves in alignment. |
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Our guest hour 2:
Yisroel Stefansky |
Show appearances:
JAN 29,
2012
SEP 7, 2014 |
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YISROEL
STEFANSKY |
www.ProactiveGlobalSecurity.com
About
Yisroel
Founder of: ZAKA
Foundation, Israel Support Fund as well as Founder and Director of
International Business Development for Proactive Global Security.
As
PROACTIVE GLOBAL SECURITY's Founder and Director of International
Business Development, Yisroel Stefansky plays a fundamental role
helping organizations throughout the US understand terrorism from
the perspective of the victim. He is an international lecturer and
recognized expert in practical disaster response & relief.
A true veteran of the war between terrorists and civilization.
Stefansky has worked with police forces, emergency response teams,
and many other first-responders in various countries throughout the
world as a consultant and response trainer.
continued
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