New U.S. Ambassador to Holy See Ken Hackett speaks to Vatican Radio
(Vatican Radio) The United States’s new ambassador to the Holy See, Kenneth Hackett,
says his many years of experience working in the field of Catholic charities have
introduced him to countless lay and religious in the Church “doing wonderful things”
in the area of human development - a resource which he hopes to put to good use in
promoting international development in unison with the Holy See.
Prior to
his new posting, Ambassador Hackett gave forty years of service to the Catholic Relief
Services (CRS), where he was the President and CEO from 1993 to 2012. He began his
career with CRS in 1972 as a staff member in Sierra Leone.
He presented his
letters of credentials to Pope Francis on October 21 this year. He shared this moment
with Tracey McClure:
“It was a very moving experience to present the credentials,
which I had almost forgotten – my secretary was right there – and secondly just to
meet him. I had never met the Holy Father before and I’ve met a lot of Cardinals
and church men and women around the world. But never him. And having read and heard
and seen so much of what he had done, just to actually meet him was inspiring and
an honor. … obviously I told him why we hope we can work together on many, many issues
that affect human dignity and the poor and people who are marginalized.”
“I
told him that I had experience in my many years (of service in human development and
that I’d met) many people in the Church who’ve been courageous, intrepid. People
who’ve done wonderful, wonderful things. Sometimes we hear about the negative and
we don’t hear about the positive things done around the world.”
“We shared
the fact that there are things in the world that the Holy See and the United States
can come together on and particularly, peace. Obviously he talked about his prayer
for peace and praying for our president… these are trying times obviously and he is
quite aware of what has been done.”
Ahead of his audience with Pope Francis
this week, Ambassador Hackett met Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello of the Vatican Governatorate.
The two recalled their shared experiences in Rwanda, a “painful” recollection Ambassador
Hackett observed. As Archbishop, Bertello was Apostolic Nuncio to Rwanda in the early
1980’s before the genocide. Ambassador Hackett said the Cardinal suggested he recount
their Rwanda experience to Pope Francis.
“Since Catholic Relief Services has
had programs in Rwanda and many other places around the world for many years, I would,
as CEO and President, visit. We’d always call on the nuncio and the bishops’ conference,
etc. And so I knew him before the genocide. And then I visited his home shortly
after the genocide in Rwanda…in August 1994. And I told him that as I went to his
nunciature and viewed the mortar holes in his ceiling in his bedroom, I said ‘you
must have been absolutely traumatized.’ And he admitted he was. He came out and of
course then was posted to Geneva and a few other places… but he did some wonderful
things in there..”
“That’s the wonder for me in this position. That I have
met people in the Church, women religious, lay leaders, cardinals, bishops, priests
from around the world. And now, here I am in Rome, in the Vatican – they all pass
through! And it’s so wonderful to recapture those friendships (of) people who have
put me up in Congo and in Indonesia and then have them come here for their ad limina
(visit to Rome) and to be able to offer them a meal or even just a cup of coffee ,
it’s wonderful.”
Past U.S. ambassadors from varied business and academic backgrounds
have taken up causes to champion during their posting to the Holy See – causes such
as ending human trafficking, promoting human rights and inter-religious dialogue.
Ambassador Hackett’s more than 40 year history of working in the field of international
human development brings a unique dimension to the job. Which areas of interest will
he be pursuing in his new post at the Vatican?
“All of those areas regrettably
are still in need and I will pick up on them. In my previous positions, I was engaged
in all of those. International human development is something that the Holy Father
has spoken about – then he talks about the situation of refugees as well obviously.
That would fall under human trafficking and the movement of people. It’s something
that is of concern to my government very much. And it is an area (in which) we have
collaborated with the Holy See and will continue to. And if we can do more in human
development, in peace issues, I hope we can. And I hope… that I can use my connections
and contacts from the past to enhance those efforts in any way.” Listen to Tracey
McClure’s extended interview with Ambassador Hackett in which he discusses his Jesuit
training, the rigorous selection procedure to become U.S. ambassador, whether his
Catholic faith ever comes into conflict with his job, and what lessons are to be learned
from the recent U.S. Government Shutdown :