American diplomat
Miguel Humberto Diaz
(born September 29, 1963)
[1]
is an American
theologian
,
diplomat
and commentator who served as
United States Ambassador to the Holy See
. He was nominated by President
Barack Obama
and confirmed by the
U.S. Senate
on August 5, 2009.
[2]
He resigned on November 5, 2012,
[3]
and was immediately named University Professor of Faith and Culture
[4]
at the
University of Dayton
. He was the first Hispanic U.S. Ambassador accredited to the
Holy See
.
As ambassador, Diaz helped launch the Religion in Foreign Policy Working Group of the Secretary of State's Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society. The Working Group facilitates regular dialogue between the
U.S. foreign policy
establishment and religious leaders, scholars, and practitioners worldwide on strategies to build more effective partnerships on issues such as conflict prevention, humanitarian assistance and national security.
[3]
On May 20, 2014,
Loyola University Chicago
announced that they intended to hire Diaz as a professor despite a University of Dayton harassment allegation. A spokesman for Loyola said in an email, "We have reviewed the allegations raised against Miguel Diaz and our offer to him stands." He became a professor at Loyola on July 1, 2014.
[5]
Early life and education
[
edit
]
Diaz was born in
Havana, Cuba
, and he and his family departed for
Spain
when he was nine. Two years later, he immigrated to
Florida
. He comes from a modest background; his father worked as a waiter and his mother worked as a
data entry clerk
.
[6]
[7]
Diaz holds a B.A. from
St. Thomas University
and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Theology from the
University of Notre Dame
.
[8]
Career
[
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]
Prior to his service as ambassador, he was a professor of theology at the
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
in
Minnesota
. Diaz is the co-editor of the book
From the Heart of Our People: Explorations in Catholic Systematic Theology
and author of
On Being Human: U.S. Hispanic and Rahnerian Perspectives
, named "Best Book of the Year" by the
Hispanic Theological Initiative
at
Princeton Theological Seminary
. Diaz has taught religious studies and theology at
Barry University
, the
University of Dayton
and the
University of Notre Dame
. From 2001 to 2003, he taught and served as academic dean at
St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary
in
Boynton Beach, Florida
. He is a board member of the
Catholic Theological Society of America
(CTSA) and past president of the
Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States
(ACHTUS).
Conservative news outlet
Newsmax
claimed that Diaz was rejected by the Vatican several times. However,
Time
magazine said that the story was false.
[9]
He presented his credentials on October 2, 2009, and served until November 10, 2012.
[10]
Theology
[
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]
Building on the work of
Karl Rahner
, Diaz has placed extensive emphasis on the role of
the Trinity
in history.
[11]
Along with theologians such as
Catherine LaCugna
, Diaz argues that the life of God cannot be considered apart from history, but must be conceived as "for us, and for our salvation." In this vein, he has also asserted that in the contemporary American context, God can be seen vividly "in the face of migrants," who face the dangers of economic insecurity, violence, and social marginalization in search of a better life.
[12]
Speeches
[
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]
Diaz gave his first speech on U.S. soil as ambassador on Friday, February 5, 2010, at
St. John Vianney College Seminary
in
Miami, Fl
.
[13]
He spoke at the seminary's 11th Annual
Fides et Ratio
Conference on the relations between the U.S. Government and the
Holy See
.
[14]
Ambassador Diaz attended
St. John Vianney College Seminary
and obtained a certificate in Pre-Theology.
[15]
He received several honorary doctorates while serving as ambassador.
[
citation needed
]
After joining the
University of Dayton
, he was sought for analysis and comment
by the national news media, especially upon the resignation of
Pope Benedict XVI
in February 2013. He currently holds the John Courtney Murray University Chair in Public Service at Loyola University Chicago where he continues to be sought by multiple media outlets for analysis and commentary.
[17]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University
- ^
Wan, William.
"Drei neue Botschafter am Heiligen Stuhl"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
2009-08-13
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
a
b
"Ambassador Miguel Diaz Departs Post"
.
US Embassy to the Holy See
. US State Department. Archived from
the original
on 2013-01-27
. Retrieved
24 November
2012
.
- ^
"Our Man From Rome"
. University of Dayton. Archived from
the original
on 2013-05-30
. Retrieved
23 February
2013
.
- ^
"Loyola Chicago will hire ex-vatican ambassador despite harassment allegations"
. Inside Higher Ed
. Retrieved
20 May
2014
.
- ^
Obama’s pick for Vatican ambassador described as devout scholar, leading theologian
,
Boston Herald
, May 29, 2009, AP
Archived
March 19, 2012, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Eric Gorski
Hispanic theologian chosen for Vatican ambassador
AP, May 27, 2009
[
dead link
]
- ^
"President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts"
.
whitehouse.gov
. 27 May 2009
. Retrieved
2009-06-05
– via
National Archives
.
- ^
Sullivan, Amy.
Obama's Vatican Ambassador Rejected? No
, The Swampland, Time Magazine, April 9, 2009, accessed April 4, 2010.
- ^
"Miguel Humberto Diaz (1963?)"
.
Department of State
.
- ^
Espin, Orlando (2009).
Building Bridges, Doing Justice: Constructing a Latino/a Ecumenical Theology
. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books. pp. 91?111.
- ^
Diaz, Miguel (January 1, 2009). "On Loving Strangers: Encountering the Mystery of God in the Face of Migrants".
Word and World
.
29
(3): 234?242.
- ^
Thomas Pringle
"Fides et Ratio"
. Catholica Omnia
. Retrieved
2010-03-11
.
- ^
Thomas Pringle
"Fides et Ratio"
. Catholica Omnia
. Retrieved
2010-03-11
.
- ^
"Alumnus-Turned-Ambassador Returns To St. John Vianney"
. The Florida Catholic. Archived from
the original
on 2010-06-13
. Retrieved
2010-03-12
.
- ^
"Faculty & Staff Directory: The John Courtney Murray, S.J., University Chair in Public Service and: Theology, Department of: Loyola University Chicago"
.
This article incorporates
public domain material
from
U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets
.
United States Department of State
.
External links
[
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]