Vatican, Apr. 8 (CWNews.com/LifeSiteNews.com) – A high-ranking American official will visit the Vatican on Wednesday, April 9, in an evident bid to repair frayed relations between the Holy See and the White House. John Bolton, the Undersecretary of State for arms control, will meet with Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States. Bolton will be the first US representative to visit the Vatican since the beginning of the war in Iraq. Vatican officials expect Bolton to re-state the American rationale for military action against the regime of Saddam Hussein. Sources inside the Vatican, noting Bolton’s credentials in the field of disarmament, expect the US spokesman to provide details about the American charges that Saddam Hussein was accumulating weapons of mass destruction. The discussion between Bolton and Archbishop Tauran will also involve plans for the post-war reconstruction of Iraq. The archbishop will argue that the United Nations should lead the reconstruction effort.
Prior to his meeting with Archbishop Tauran, Bolton will meet with the US ambassador to the Holy See, James Nicholson, and Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, the American native who is now president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Later he will also speak with Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the president of the Italian bishops’ conference.
Another important US official, Tommy Thompson, the Secretary for Health and Human Services, will be in Rome during Holy Week. Thompson, a practicing Catholic, plans to participate in the liturgical events of Holy Week. He will also meet with Archbishop Javier Lozano Barragan, the president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care.