THE U.S. EMBASSY TO THE HOLY SEE
Offices of Public Affairs
For Immediate Release
FRANCIS ROONEY
AMBASSADOR OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
TO THE HOLY SEE
PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO POPE BENEDICT XVI
> Read the Ambassador's Remarks
VATICAN CITY , November 12, 2005 - - Ambassador Francis Rooney presented his credentials to Pope Benedict XVI at 11:00 a.m. today during a ceremony held in Vatican City. Ambassador Rooney was accompanied by his wife, Kathleen, and his three children. Diplomats from the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See also attended the ceremony.
In his remarks to Pope Benedict XVI, Ambassador Rooney said mutual respect and common goals underpinned the relationship between the United States of America and the Holy See. "I am confident we will succeed in our determined efforts to bring our world the gifts of peace, justice, freedom, economic opportunity and democracy," he said.
Rooney assured Pope Benedict XVI that he aims to enhance collaboration with the Holy See in addressing issues such as terrorism, global hunger, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the trafficking of human beings across international borders.
Ambassador Rooney also observed that 2005 marks the 40 th anniversary of two key documents of the Second Vatican Council—Nostra Aetate and Dignitatis Humanae. He noted that "the United States sees in these documents the spirit of outreach, tolerance, respect and dialogue among diverse people that we wish to promote in our own society."
Commenting on the ceremony, Rooney said "it was a great honor and an incredible experience to meet Pope Benedict XVI. In our 25-minute meeting, His Holiness welcomed me warmly and expressed a real appreciation for the U.S.-Holy See relationship. The Pope offered important insights on many issues and encouraged our continued partnership to promote tolerance and human dignity. I am looking forward to working with him on some of the most pressing issues of our day. The United States couldn’t have a better partner in these endeavors."
Francis Rooney is the seventh Ambassador of the United States of America to the Holy See since full diplomatic relations were established in 1984. He was sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See on October 13, 2005, by the U.S. Senate. Prior to this, Ambassador Rooney was the Chief Executive Officer of Rooney Holdings, Inc., an investment and holding company based in Naples, Florida, with administrative offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has served on the Board of Directors of BOK Financial Corporation and the Bank of Oklahoma, NASDAQ; Helmerich and Payne, Inc., NYSE; and Cimarex Energy Company, NYSE.
Mr. Rooney presently is a member of the School of Architecture Council of The University of Notre Dame, and a member of The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (Federal Association). He was a member of the Board and Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee of the St. Francis Health System, a large Catholic health system in Oklahoma; and Chairman of the Board of Cascia Hall Preparatory School, an Augustinian middle and high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Francis Rooney is a graduate of Georgetown University (A.B. 1975) and Georgetown University Law Center (J.D. 1978). He is a member of the District of Columbia and Texas bars, and holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-Ton Masters License (Sailing Endorsement). He is conversationally fluent in Spanish.
For further information please contact:
Amy Roth Turnley
Public Affairs Coordinator
06/4674-3433, 335-660-3564,
RothTurnleyAE@state.gov
