Padre Pio II

The world lost another Padre Pio on Sunday. Cardinal Pio Laghi passed away in Italy. Cardinal Laghi's name may not be known to many. He had a strong connection to the United States. He served as the primary diplomatic link between the Holy See and the United States when permanent diplomatic relations were established in the 80s. When that happened, Laghi was appointed as Apostolic Nuncio to the United States. In that role, he was responsible for handling diplomatic relations as well as overseeing the Church in the United States. If there was a diocese without a bishop, then-Archbishop Laghi was responsible for developing a terna, list of three possible successors for the Pope to consider. In this role, Laghi played a very significant role in the development of the face of the current U.S. hierarchy.

After several years of retirement, Laghi was called in for special duty in 2003. As the U.S. was gearing up for war with Iraq, the Vatican sent Laghi to try to urge the U.S. to consider alternatives before attacking. I have read numerous accounts that indicate that the discussions were either "bluntly diplomatic" or "diplomatically blunt". In no uncertain terms, Laghi told State Department officials that they did not know what they were doing and underestimated the resources required to achieve their goals. Laghi stated that, if the attack proceeded, the U.S. should be prepared for decades of challenges and frustration. Laghi also warned that an attack would jeopardize the safety and stabilty of Christians in Iraq. He mentioned that the majority of Christians would leave the country and this would lead to a situation of "brain drain". Many of the leading professionals in Iraq were Christians. They rose in society because they had access to education provided by many Christian communities, including Catholic religious orders. Hindsight shows that Laghi knew about that of which he spoke. For a ZENIT article on Laghi's death, go to: http://www.zenit.org/article-24767?l=english.

May he rest in peace.