Published: May 25, 2007 11:12 pm            

Oklahoman is ambassador to the Holy See

ROME, Italy — After next month's G8 Summit, President George Bush will pay a formal visit to Pope Benedict XVI.

The preparation and anticipation make for an exciting time for Oklahoman Francis Rooney, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.

Rooney will relax afterward in wicked hot Oklahoma August, when Italians take their month-long holiday. He prefers the hot and dry season in his home state.

"It's a pretty exciting time," Rooney said in an interview inside the embassy last week. His office view overlooks the Circo Massimo and is just a boulder's roll from the Colloseo.

"The fact that the president is coming to meet the holy father says something," he said. "It shows how important the Holy See is to the United States. There's a lot of work that comes into the visit."

Rooney says the Catholic Church and the United States have similar core values. Though they may differ in some areas, the premise of human dignity, religious freedom and individual opportunity transcends the two entities.

"We have so many areas where our values and the values of the Holy See are so aligned," he said.

Rooney deals with those values on a daily basis. He was appointed ambassador in October 2005 by Bush. The two met when Rooney's company, Manhattan Construction Co., built the Arlington, Texas, baseball stadium used by the Texas Rangers. Bush was managing partner of the baseball team.

"He's been a real source of inspiration for me for some time," Rooney said. He was a strong supporter and financial contributor to Bush's campaigns.

He said the president doesn't get enough credit in the press for the tax cuts passed early in his administration. The economy has boomed for seven straight years, he said.

Rooney serves as the administration's point man for the Vatican. He works with Vatican officials on leveraging U.S. strengths and understanding church positions and their potential alignment with the U.S. government's positions. He has 14 staff members, small for an embassy. The Vatican encompasses just over 100 acres of land and has been its own nation since an agreement with Italian President Mussolini in 1929.

The embassy serves as a kind of think tank. It is not encumbered by the day-to-day demands on embassies such as visas, agricultural questions or defense issues.

"All we are focused on are the big picture ideals," he said.

He has high regard for Pope Benedict. He finds him to be a very kind and profound man.

With the Holy See, the embassy has been a pioneer in addressing human trafficking. It has worked with religious orders in helping train priests and nuns in recognizing signs of trafficking.

Rooney often receives visitors from Oklahoma and other states. University of Oklahoma President David Boren and Molly Shi Boren visited with a group of OU students this past summer. He hosts numerous visitors and attends many official receptions. He speaks some Italian but conducts business in English and Spanish.

He is encouraged that the U.S. Congress appears to be moving toward reforming the nation's immigration policy. The church believes individuals have a right to the fruits of their labor and families should not be separated.

"President Bush has been very clear," he said. "We need to protect our borders and deal rationally with the workers who are already here working and supporting our growing economy."

An immigration reform that doesn't address that reality won't work, Rooney said.

"We'd be really disadvantaged if we didn't have them working here," he said.

Rooney said he is honored to serve Bush and his country but he knows he will return to his Oklahoma roots some day.

"I'm thankful to be part of President Bush's team but I wouldn't want to do it for a lifetime," he said. "Don't get me wrong. I love Italy but I miss Oklahoma and the U.S."

        

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