President Obama’s pick for the Vatican Ambassador spot got the thumbs up from Archbishop Pietro Sambi at the Catholic University of America. Rocco has the scoop

In an unplanned intervention here at CUA, the papal nuncio to Washington Archbishop Pietro Sambi leaped to the mic for a second time during this morning’s program to note the “wonderful and unexpected coincidence” of Miguel Diaz’s nomination as the next US ambassador to the Holy See on the eve of today’s symposium for the 25th anniversary of Vatican-Washington relations.

“I would like to express to [Diaz] my congratulations and best wishes,” Sambi said, “as his partner on the other side to collaborate with him on what is our main reason of life: to improve relations.”

The unexpected move was the nuncio’s first public comment on an action of the Obama administration since it came to office.

Nice. Good to see that this will be a pick that puts a smart theologian into the public sphere and will help the church make sense to people of faith. I would also think that Dr. Diaz will be someone who the Holy Father can talk with about the perception of the church to Americans and that he can learn from his expertise, especially on matters of inculturation.