US envoy to Vatican sees no major damage from Wikileaks revelations
January 07, 2011
Diplomatic relations between the US and the Vatican have not been severely damaged by the unauthorized release of Wikileaks documents, according to the US ambassador to the Holy See. In an interview with the Associated Press, Ambassador Miguel Diaz said that the release of some messages from US embassy officials, including candid and sometimes critical appraisals of Vatican personnel and policies, was just one of the “ups and downs” that is inevitable in diplomatic relations between two countries. He downplayed the long-term damage done by the leaks.
Diaz said that the Obama administration is working closely with the Vatican on issues such as religious freedom and relief for needy people in Haiti and elsewhere. He acknowledged some disagreements, on issues such as abortion, but said that too was unexceptional. "There has never been a time in any administration in which there is 100% consensus across the board," he said.
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