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MARCO WERMAN: The Obama Administration may be in the middle of a delicate diplomatic dance with the Vatican. Or not, depending on whom you believe. According to some reports, the Vatican has rejected three names put forth by Washington as possible U.S. ambassadors to the Holy See, among them Caroline Kennedy, JFK's daughter and a prominent Obama campaign supporter. The Vatican today said the reports are not true. Well, Richard Owen is Rome Correspondent for The Times of London. Now, your sources tell you that the story is true, Richard. What did they tell you about why the Vatican is against Caroline Kennedy and the other nominees?

RICHARD OWEN: Well, I think the basic feeling in the Vatican is that her views, and the views of others who've been sounded out, are unacceptable because, although she's a Roman Catholic, her views, her stand on abortion, on stem cell research, same-sex unions and so on, are much too liberal for the current pontificate. Of course, it's true that no formal proposal has been made and, therefore, the Vatican can say with justice that it hasn't vetoed anybody; it hasn't turned down any candidates. But there is a there is an informal process that goes on of sounding out the Secretariat of State, which advises the pope on whether this or that person would be acceptable, and it seems so far there is a standoff.

WERMAN: So the idea that Caroline Kennedy and the other two have been rejected, and the Vatican's saying it's not true, is really kind of a trick of semantics. It is extraordinary, though, that the daughter of the first and only Catholic U. S. President is not going to be considered as ambassador by the Vatican.

OWEN: Well, I think, you know, this current pope, he's facing a big challenge in the world, a challenge not only from other religions such as Islam, but above all in the West itself, from secularism, materialism, and therefore they want people in Rome who are going to help them.

WERMAN: So how do these soundings take place with the Vatican? Are these kind of like back-channel meetings?

OWEN: Yes, I think precisely that. No notes, nothing on the record. The Secretariat of State, the head of which is, in effect, the Vatican Prime Minister, is the part of the Vatican that deals with diplomacy, and they have informal conversations with people in the administration, and say, “What about so-and-so and what about so-and-so?” And, as I said, no, it's not a question of actually formally submitting a name, which is then vetoed or turned down. It's rather more an informal process of consultation.

WERMAN: The Vatican has to be unique in this regard, though. I mean, as far I know, sovereign countries with, you know, diplomatic relations with other countries, I mean, the ambassador comes from County A to Country B, and the represent the views of Country A, not the other way around. Why should they be obliged to agree with the host country's policies?

OWEN: Well, I think this is the way the Vatican has always conducted these matters, and I think they do feel that, at the moment, they need all the help they can get in, as I said, in a world in which religious values are under threat. Pope Benedict actually repeated that just this last Easter, saying that religion – Christian religion in particular – was increasingly ridiculed in the world, and that we were heading for a world of godlessness. And so, I think they feel they need allies in that battles that they're fighting.

WERMAN: Is there a back-story here? I mean, how concerned is the Vatican about the advent of a relatively liberal government in America, one that has already, for example, moved to facilitate stem cell research?

OWEN: I think it is very concerned. I mean, it's been, of course, polite about President Obama and welcomed his election, but a lot of the content, including in the Vatican's own newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, has indicated some unease and unhappiness with his known stands on matters like stem cell research. This will actually come to a head in the summer when we expect to see President Obama's first meeting with Pope Benedict in the margins of the G8 Summit.

WERMAN: I was going to say, I wonder how frosty that meeting is going to be, especially if there isn't an ambassador appointed yet.

OWEN: Well, it'd be extremely frosty, in fact, possibly impossible if there is no American ambassador to the Vatican by then. So I think the hope is that between now and then, which is not a great deal of time – we're talking about the 8th of July – that by then there will be a compromise choice agreed on.

WERMAN: Richard Owen, the Rome Correspondent for The Times of London speaking with us from Rome. Thank you very much for your time.

OWEN: My pleasure.

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