List of ambassadors of the United States to the Holy See

(Redirected from U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See)

Ambassador of the United States to the Holy See
Apostolicae Sedis Legatus Civitatum Foederatarum
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent Laura Hochla Chargé d'Affairs ad interim since July 8, 2024
Nominator	The President of the United States
Appointer	The President with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holder	William A. Wilson as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Formation	April 9, 1984
Website	va.usembassy.gov

The ambassador of the United States to the Holy See is the official representative of the United States of America to the Holy See, the leadership of the Catholic Church. The official representation began with the formal opening of diplomatic relations with the Holy See by President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II in 1984.

Before the establishment of formal diplomatic relations, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Postmaster General James Farley was the first high-ranking government official to normalize relations with the Holy See in 1933. In addition, Myron Taylor would serve during World War II as an emissary for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1951, President Harry S. Truman's pick of World War II hero Mark W. Clark was defeated.

Between 1951 and 1968, the United States had no official representative accredited to the Holy See. President Richard Nixon changed this when he appointed Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. as his personal representative. President Jimmy Carter followed with the appointment of former New York City mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. Every ambassador to date has been a member of the Roman Catholic Church. The most recent ambassador was Joe Donnelly, who presented his credentials to Pope Francis on April 11, 2022.

History before formal diplomatic relations established

The United States had diplomatic relations with the Papal States from 1797 to 1867. The Papal States ceased to exist in 1870, when its last territory (the city of Rome) was lost to the Kingdom of Italy. After that, the international status of the Papacy was controversial until 1929, when the Italian government agreed to the establishment of Vatican City as a sovereign city-state.

The United States was slow to establish full diplomatic relations with the re-established Holy See, partly due to the prevalence of anti-Catholicism in the United States. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Postmaster General James Farley was the first high-ranking government official to normalize relations with the Holy See in 1933 when the Postmaster General set sail for Europe, along with Soviet Commissar of Foreign Affairs Maxim Litvinoff on the Italian Liner SS Conte di Savoia. In Italy Farley had an audience with Pope Pius XI, and dinner with Cardinal Pacelli, who was to accede to the papacy in 1939. Myron Charles Taylor, an industrialist, philanthropist and diplomat (starting with World War II), served from December 1939 until 1950 as the personal representative of Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman to the Vatican.

On October 20, 1951, Truman nominated Mark W. Clark, a U.S. Army general and World War II hero, to be emissary to the Holy See. Clark later withdrew his nomination on January 13, 1952, following protests from U.S. Senator Tom Connally from Texas and Protestant groups.

Between 1951 and 1968, the United States had no official representative accredited to the Holy See.

In 1969, President Richard Nixon changed this when he appointed—as his personal representative—Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., a former U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, Nixon's 1960 Republican vice presidential running mate and a former U.S. ambassador (to the United Nations, South Vietnam, and West Germany).

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter followed with the appointment of Robert F. Wagner Jr., a former mayor of New York City and U.S. Ambassador to Spain.

Heads of the U.S. Legation at Rome (1848–1867)
Name and title	Presentation of credentials	Termination of mission
Jacob L. Martin, Chargé d'Affaires	August 19, 1848	August 26, 1848
Lewis Cass Jr., Minister Resident	November 19, 1849	November 27, 1858
John P. Stockton, Minister Resident	November 27, 1858	May 23, 1861
Alexander Randall, Minister Resident	June 6, 1862	August 4, 1862
Richard Milford Blatchford, Minister Resident	November 26, 1862	May 20, 1863
Rufus King, Minister Resident	January 8, 1864	August 17, 1867

List of envoys serving prior to the establishment of diplomatic relations

As no diplomatic relations with the Holy See were allowed by US law between 1867-1984, no Ambassadors were appointed during that period. However, some US Presidents appointed personal envoys to negotiate with the Vatican.

William Howard Taft, 1902-1903 (later US President)
Myron Charles Taylor, December 23, 1939-January 18, 1950
Harold H. Tittmann Jr., December 29, 1941-July 8, 1944 (serving under Taylor)
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., June 5, 1970-July 6, 1977
David M. Walters, July 6, 1977-August 17, 1978
Robert F. Wagner Jr., November 28, 1978-January 16, 1981
William Wilson, February 11, 1981-April 9, 1984