On Oct. 8, President Biden appointed a member of my own party, former Sen. Joe Donnelly, as ambassador to the Holy See.
At 17 years old, I was a novice Catholic monk and college seminarian prior to my appointment to the North American College at the Vatican to continue priestly studies. I lived at the Vatican during the 1980-81 academic year. At that time, the U.S. did not have a Vatican ambassador with all its associated costs for building and staff.
Today, the U.S. Embassy to Italy and the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See are a four-minute walk from each other—a one-minute car drive if security is an issue.
While Sen. Donnelly is a member of my party, that is not a reason to carry on a needless taxpayer expense. Let the U.S. Embassy to Italy handle matters with the Vatican. I urge the entire U.S. Senate to vote no to Sen. Donnelly’s appointment to the Holy See.
President Biden could appoint Mr. Donnelly to be U.S. ambassador to Italy, which is vacant, and save the taxpayer some money and still have the former Indiana senator in Rome. On that appointment, I would urge the senators to vote yes.
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Mark Powell
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