Thomas Patrick Melady, former United States ambassador to the Vatican, spoke at the University yesterday about relations between the United States and the government of the Roman Catholic Church. Between 1989 and 1993, Melady served as U.S. ambassador under the Bush administration. Currently, he is chairperson of the Catholic Campaign for America. "I had no idea in 1984 that I would be an ambassador to the Holy City," Melady told the crowd of nearly 40 at the Newman Center. As ambassador, he worked closely with the pope on behalf of the U.S. government. In his lecture, Melady recalled several politically significant scenarios involving former President Bush and the pope. "Once, President Bush asked me to use my influence to get the Vatican to recognize the State of Israel," Melady said. "He asked me to do it quietly and appropriately. "For three and a half years, I met with Jewish leaders and others regarding Israel," he added. "A few months after I left, the Holy City established relations with the State of Israel." Melady also emphasized the importance of maintaining relations with the government of the Roman Catholic Church in the future because U.S. influence is not definitive. "There is no question in my mind that [the United States's] past 11 years of diplomatic relations with the Vatican have served our interest," Melady said. He also predicted that the pope's upcoming visit to the United Nations would be his last trip to the United States. Melady said the pope would probably discuss human rights, religious freedom and his concern about the use of warfare in area conflicts. Aside from his role as ambassador, Melady has served as assistant U.S. secretary for post-secondary education and U.S. ambassador to Burundi and Uganda. He has written 13 books and numerous articles. Wharton junior and Newman Council President Brian Sheth helped organize the former ambassador's visit to the University. "We feel that he was a very relevant speaker seeing as many students have questions about religion's role in government," Sheth said. The Rev. Mark Hunt, director of the Newman Center, said the organization offers a variety of social and educational opportunities for students, staff and faculty throughout the year.
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