February 28: Broken Ties

Welcome to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Today is February 28th, and our story is Broken Ties. In Washington, D.C., some things never change. Rumors populate the nation's capital today, and they populated the nation's capital 150 years ago, when, on February 28, 1867, the U.S. Congress voted to cut off diplomatic relations with the Holy See.

Ever since the presidency of George Washington, the United States and the Vatican had enjoyed cordial, formal relations. Americans weren't always happy about the diplomatic ties that bound the two nations, the Catholic Church being less than popular with America's mostly Protestant population, but the ties were tolerated nonetheless.

In 1867, however, anti-Catholic sentiments reached new heights as waves of Catholic immigrants poured into America from Europe. That year, rumors spread around the capital, including conspiracy theories alleging that the church had plotted to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln, and that the Pope had forbidden the celebration of Protestant services at the home of the American minister in Rome.

President Andrew Johnson's support of diplomatic relations with the Vatican didn't help either, given his low approval rating at the time. Legislation was soon introduced that blocked any future funding of U.S. diplomatic missions to the Holy See. It passed by a wide margin, effectively severing all diplomatic ties between the two nations.

For more than 100 years after that vote, those ties remained severed. Beginning in 1933, presidents occasionally appointed special envoys to handle diplomatic negotiations with the recently formed Vatican City State, but they made no attempt to formalize relations until 1951, when President Harry Truman nominated General Mark W. Clark to serve as the country's official emissary to the Holy See. Clark withdrew his nomination after Protestant groups vociferously protested. Finally, in 1983, Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana successfully introduced and passed legislation repealing the 1867 Prohibition.

The reinstatement of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Vatican was officially announced on January 10, 1984, and two months later, the U.S. Senate approved President Ronald Reagan's nomination of William A. Wilson as the first U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. The story of U.S.-Vatican relations shows how fear, rumor, and prejudice can disrupt even long-standing friendships, yet it also demonstrates that perseverance, dialogue, and patience can restore ties. Reflect on a strained relationship in your life.

Consider one step you can take to promote understanding, reconciliation, or renewed friendship. Thank you for listening to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Join us tomorrow, March 1st, for another story of faith and courage in America.