Description
Book SynopsisExplores the bilateral relations between the US and the Vatican from 1975 to 1980, a turbulent period that had two presidents, three presidential envoys, and three popes. This previously untold story shows how the US and the Vatican worked quietly together behind the scenes to influence the international response to major issues of the day.
Trade Review“An important addition to the story of U.S.-Vatican relations, which fluctuated widely for a century.” ––Ambassador Sam Gammon, former executive director, American Historical Association
"The scholarship is amazing: first-hand accounts, personal notes of the author, State Department documents, biographies, journals, and newspapers. In the field of resources on modern U.S.-Vatican relations, there is a significant gap that this book fills." —Andrew Essig, DeSales University
"[T]his volume is useful for casting light on Vatican diplomacy and American policies. Particularly valuable are insights into the role of Agostino Casaroli, eventually cardinal secretary of state, in the Vatican’s foreign policy." —Choice
Table of ContentsPrologue
1. The Year of Three Popes and the Transformation of U.S.-Vatican Relations
2. Beagle Chanel Mediation: Diplomacy and War Prevention
3. The Vatican, Italy, and Eurocommunism
4. Vatican Ostpolitik: Diplomacy of Rapprochement with communism
5. The Vatican and the Helsinki Process
6. The Pope, the Neutron Bomb, and NATO Modernization
7. The President, the Pope and the Crown of St. Stephens
8. The Vatican, The U.S. & Lebanon’s Civil War
9. The U. S., the Vatican & Middle East, and Jerusalem
10. The Pope & the Iranian Hostage Crisis: The Limits of Papal Power
11. The Vatican, Liberation Theology & the Central American Imbroglio
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index
