Sibelius Supporter Miguel Diaz as United States Ambassador to Holy See

Diaz was among the 26 "faithful Catholic" leaders who signed onto a letter of support for Sibelius earlier this year.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews.com) - Miguel Diaz, a self-proclaimed "faithful Catholic" and a professor of theology at St. John's School of Theology, was appointed as ambassador of the United States to the Holy See by President Obama yesterday.

Pro-life groups have expressed their significant concerns about the appointment. Diaz most recently made headlines after he threw his support, as a fellow "Catholic," behind the nomination of Kathleen Sibelius as the new Health Secretary. Sebelius is considered by pro-life advocates to be one of the most notorious pro-abortion Catholic politician in the United States.

Diaz was among the 26 "faithful Catholic" leaders who signed onto a letter of support for Sibelius earlier this year. "As faithful Catholics we proudly offer our support to Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who has been nominated to head the Department of Health and Human Services," says the letter.

"Governor Sebelius is a woman of deep faith," the letter continues.

Sebelius' archbishop, Archbishop Joseph Naumann, however, said last year that Sebelius is giving Catholics a "spiritually lethal message."

The letter that Diaz signed on to claims that Sebelius "agrees with church teaching that abortion is wrong and has lived and acted according to that belief." The letter claims that the disagreement between Sibelius and the Church "has never been over the morality of abortion, but over what prudential policy is best in dealing with abortion."

Sebelius, however, vetoed a bill in Kansas that would have placed restrictions on partial-birth abortions just this past April. The move was simply the latest in a long series of pro-abortion actions on the part of the governor. The governor is know to have a close relationship with notorious Kansas late-term abortionist George Tiller.

After Sebelius refused to recant her beliefs about abortion, she was told last May not to present herself for Holy Communion by her archbishop, until she takes "the necessary steps for amendment of her life which would include a public repudiation of her previous efforts and actions in support of laws and policies sanctioning abortion."

Diaz, for his own part, has refused to comment regarding his own stance on life issues, saying that it would be inappropriate to discuss such matters before his confirmation hearing.

"I wish to be a diplomatic bridge between our nation and the Holy See, and if confirmed by the U.S. Senate, I will continue the work of my predecessors and build on 25 years of excellent relations with the Holy See," Diaz said.

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Obama has appointed numerous nominal Catholics, many of whom are notorious supporters of abortion, to prestigious offices. Those who have been appointed include Vice President Joe Biden, CIA Director Leon Panetta, Health Secretary Kathleen Sibelius, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and Commerce Secretary Bill Richardson.

The appointment of so many nominal Catholics to top positions in the Obama government has prompted one prominent writer and blogger, Patrick Archbold, to refer to Obama's "Vichy Catholic government" - a reference to the French town of Vichy where a puppet government was set up by the Nazi's during World War II after France surrendered to the Germans.

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