As a matter of fact ... NOwhere is there a statement that obumbles shuttered the embassy to the Vatican.
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/11/obama-to-close-embassy-at-vatican-says-its-unsafe/
Excerpt
This afternoon I spoke with former Vatican Ambassador James Nicholson. He wanted me to tell CV readers:
“It’s another manifestation of the antipathy of this administration both to Catholics and to the Vatican – and to Christians in the Middle East. This is a key post for intermediation in so many sovereignties but particularly in the Middle East. This is anything but a good time to diminish the stature of this post. To diminish the stature of this post is to diminish its influence.
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3095065/posts?page=55
U.S. to Downscale Vatican Embassy, Raising Concern Among Catholics—Including Five Former Ambassadors
Patheos ^ | 11/23/13 | Kathy Schiffer
Posted on Sunday, November 24, 2013 5:21:20 PM by marshmallow
The United States is scaling back its diplomatic mission at the Vatican—making plans to close its Vatican Embassy headquarters, and instead conduct its operations in a smaller building within the walls of the U.S. Embassy to Italy.
The Obama Administration cites “security concerns” following the attack in Benghazi, and claims that they can better protect embassy staff in a consolidated compound. According to government authorities, once construction is completed in 2015, the Vatican Embassy will have a separate entrance and it will be apparent that it is a completely separate operation.
But many Catholics—among them five former U.S. Ambassadors to the Holy See—strongly disagree, calling the plan a “massive downgrade” in U.S./Vatican relations.
Former U.S. Ambassador James Nicholson, who served as Secretary of Veterans Affairs under George W. Bush and as chairman of the Republican National Committee, said, “It’s turning this embassy into a stepchild of the embassy to Italy.” Speaking to National Catholic Reporter’s John Allen, Ambassador Nicholson said:
“The Holy See is a pivot point for international affairs and a major listening post for the United States, and to shoehorn [the U.S. delegation] into an office annex inside another embassy is an insult to American Catholics and to the Vatican.”