State Department: Ambassador Spends Too Much Time On Religion

By Adelle M. Banks
Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS) The U.S. ambassador to Malta, who helped rally Catholic support for President Obama's 2008 campaign, has spent "considerable time" writing on topics beyond the mission of his office, particularly about matters of faith, according to a new State Department investigation.

The report from the department's Office of Inspector General said Ambassador Douglas Kmiec's writings had an "unconventional approach" to the ambassadorship that has caused "friction" with Washington officials.

"Based on a belief that he was given a special mandate to promote President Obama's interfaith initiatives, he has devoted considerable time to writing articles for publication in the United States as well as in Malta, and to presenting his views on subjects outside the bilateral portfolio," reads the February report.

The document was first reported by The Associated Press on Friday (April 8).

The 49-page report was not specific about those writings; some writings posted on his website at Pepperdine University School of Law include references to faith and abortion.

The report notes that Kmiec, who has also faced criticism from fellow Catholics for his defense of Obama's abortion policies, "is respected by Maltese officials and most mission staff."

Kmiec defended himself in a statement he emailed to AP.

"I must say that I am troubled and saddened that a handful of individuals within my department in Washington seem to manifest a hostility to expressions of faith and efforts to promote better interfaith understanding," he said. "Our constitution proudly protects the free exercise of religion -- even for ambassadors."

The White House referred a request for comment to the State Department, which did not immediately respond.

Comments

[bgofca]

02:55 AM on 04/12/2011

separation of church and state is important to keep our country from being a theocracy.
we don't need the fundamentalist turning into the christian taliban.

[Liberterna]

05:59 PM on 04/11/2011

By Odin's Beard! this is an outrage!

His ilk will wail come Ragnarok!

[jokerdanny]

05:41 PM on 04/11/2011

yes, let's all argue over what color the unicorn is

[Bystander]

01:42 PM on 04/11/2011

"Based on a belief that he was given a special mandate to promote President Obama's interfaith initiatives, he has devoted considerable time to writing articles for publication in the United States as well as in Malta, and to presenting his views on subjects outside the bilateral portfolio." Obama also told the head of NASA to make "reaching out to the Muslim world" one of the space agency's top priorities. Go figure.

[gingersaff]

01:38 PM on 04/11/2011

Seems that we protect absolutely every single flavor and nuance of belief in the supernatural, but get all huffy about those who exercise their critical thinking skills and as a result favor a secular approach. Members of our government shouldn't be promulgating any specific religious ideas, no how, no way. He needs to keep his trap shut and do what most diplomats to friendly little countries do, which is bascially nothing. If he wants to preach and write, quit his highly paid post and do so.

[Greg Sureck]

12:36 AM on 04/11/2011

this would be more appropriately posted on the political page. It doesn't talk about religion or faith but nonloyal staff members. Career governmenalists

[DevonTexas]

08:53 PM on 04/10/2011

""Based on a belief that he was given a special mandate to promote President Obama's interfaith initiatives,..."

What part of "Ambassador to Malta" gave him that idea?

[RedRat]

03:17 PM on 04/10/2011

"Based on a belief that he was given a special mandate to promote President Obama's interfaith initiatives, he has devoted considerable time to writing articles for publication in the United States as well as in Malta, and to presenting his views on subjects outside the bilateral portfolio," reads the February report.
-------------------------------
Ok I am not a religionist at all, far from it. But if indeed Obama gave this guy such a mandate then it seems that he is merely doing the job that he was hired to do. We in the US need to understand that the we are really a very unusual culture and society. We are pluralistic, we live with many religions. Many, many countries are highly religious and usually that means of one faith. The very idea of accepting another religion into their societies is sometime beyond their ken.

Now I have not read the Ambassador's writings so can't say he has gone overboard or exactly where he stands. However, if he is trying to demonstrate tolerance for other faiths, against violence toward other faiths then more power to him. Sometimes, those sitting here in the US do not understand the importance of religion in other countries because we are looking at it from our pluralistic frame of view. Trying to expound upon religious tolerance is a very difficult task, especially in the Islamic and Mediterranean area. You are pretty much forced to come at if from religious point of view. He is in no-win situation.

[DevonTexas]

08:54 PM on 04/10/2011

It said he believed that. It didn't say Obama gave him that mandate.

[thinkingwomanmillstone]

06:19 AM on 04/11/2011

I would imagine, as does the ambassador, that the mandate is from someone a little higher up.

[Red45]

12:08 PM on 04/10/2011

Remember that pesky little thing about keeping religion out of government? Whatever happened to that?

[DevonTexas]

08:55 PM on 04/10/2011

They believe it's a one-way street. It's gov't out of religion but not the other way.

[Red45]

10:35 PM on 04/10/2011

Well said and true. Already a fan.

[TYRANNASAURUS]

11:51 AM on 04/10/2011

State Department: Ambassador Spends Too Much Time On Religion....

He's not the only one..........those BLANKING congress people from the mid-west and south do it to playing to the ignorant with their stupid abortion issues..

[xargaw]

01:21 AM on 04/11/2011

Abortion, family planning, contraception, anti-science/creationism, patriarchy, authoritarian doctrine, same sex marriage, all intruding on government from the people that want to shrink government and keep it out of your life. Apparently, they mean only other people's faith issues.

[stuoverit]

12:42 PM on 04/11/2011

Indeed. Bill Hader did a great impression of James Carville on SNL this weekend. When referring to Planned Parenthood etc., Hader as Carville says "If the Republican party is Lou Bega, then abortion is their Mambo no. 5."

[WORLDEXPERT]

11:04 AM on 04/10/2011

I really have to doubt the common sense of people who continually espouse their religious beliefs. Religion has caused much more chaos then harmony in the world and we would probably be a lot better off without it. Of coarse the Billions of dollars that are extracted from adherents to these religious sects is really what it is all about.

[Red45]

12:08 PM on 04/10/2011

You're right. Already a fan.

[MirrorMonkey]

12:59 PM on 04/10/2011

For my part, I have to doubt the common sense of people who continually espouse their political beliefs. Politics have caused much more chaos than harmony in the world and we would probably be better off without it. Of course, the money and power that those in charge derive from their political supporters are really what it is all about.

[WORLDEXPERT]

01:20 PM on 04/10/2011

Yes, of course Politics is another way to deceive the people as in America and most other so called democracies. We really don't have a democracy but a Plutocracy. The people are given the choice between 2 bought and paid for, kosher stamped candidates to be your dictator for 4 yrs. With a system of 2 political names but in reality 1 party, nothing really changes and the same con continues of robbing the American people of their money. We are slowly becoming a 3rd world country and a police state to keep the masses in line by the plutocrats you voted in. Nothing for the better will happen until we have a Tunisian or Egyptian style revolution on steroids. .

[genrel1248]

09:00 AM on 04/10/2011

Malta is a country!? I'm making a flag and declaring independance then I'm gonna get me some of that sweet US foreign aid.

[schnauzergirl]

03:39 PM on 04/11/2011

Um, they have been a country for almost 50 years.

[Bombadillo22]

07:43 AM on 04/10/2011

The ambassador has a right to his beliefs. He is NOT free from scorn, however, because his beliefs are pure fantasy, and he tries to get the rest of us to just go along with bigotry.

[FoxReincarnated]

07:10 AM on 04/10/2011

Too many liberal christians still hold onto their christian status while attacking the fundie sects of christianity. Why bother? there is nothing spiritual about christianity, and the mix and match christians are some of th most unbalanced fools ive ever met.

[BurtonDesque]

02:05 AM on 04/10/2011

It's impossible to say from this article whether this guy has violated the separation of church and state or not.