By Staci Fonner, Assoc. Print Editor
Duquesne’s
own Dean Emeritus Nicholas Cafardi is one of only a handful of people being
considered for ambassador to the Holy See, representing the interests of
Vatican City.
“It’s an
honor to be considered,” Cafardi said.
To his
knowledge, the position will be filled by mid-February or March. Cafardi said
that as he understands, it is currently on the desk of Pete Rouse, Counselor to
the President.
“As far
as I know, I’m one of at least four people being considered,” Cafardi said. “There
may be more.”
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| Dean Emeritus Nicholas Cafardi © Pittsburgh City Paper/Renee Rosensteel |
In both
2008 and 2012, Cafardi served on President Obama’s National Catholic Advisory Board,
which advises the President on how to handle issues of interest to the Catholic
voters.
Cafardi
is not without his critics, some wondering how he can reconcile his liberal and
Catholic views.
“There
are people who don’t understand how you can be a Catholic and a Democrat, but
you can be,” he said.
“I
believe everything the church teaches. Where
I disagree with some bishops is that they believe that they have the right to
determine the political tactics that will achieve the Church's moral
teachings. I think that right belongs to lay Catholics acting with an
informed conscience.”
One concern
among conservative Catholics is voting against pro-life ideologies.
“As a
Catholic, I hate to see my church reduced to one issue,” Cafardi said. “I’m
very pro-life. I think abortion is a terrible evil. If I could think of a way
to make it go away, I would. I don’t think anybody is pro-abortion or thinks it
is a societal value that we should pursue. Every abortion is a tragedy.”
However,
Cafardi believes overturning Roe v. Wade
is not the answer.
“All
overturning Roe does is give the
matter back to the states, so there will be some states where abortion will be
legal and some states where it will be highly regulated, which means as long as
Greyhound buses work, abortions will be available.”
“Countries
where abortion is illegal, abortion rates are higher,” he said. “So if we
really want to deal with the evil of abortion, shouldn’t we look at the facts?”
Cafardi
grew up in a liberal, Catholic home in Pittsburgh. At age 18, he traveled to
Rome and studied for three years at Gregorian University. He spent five years
in seminary before deciding that priesthood was not for him.
Returning
to the States, Cafardi earned a master’s degree in philosophy from Duquesne
University and a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
After graduating,
Cafardi served as in-house counsel to the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh,
practicing many areas of the law.
When
asked why he wanted to pursue a career in law, Cafardi said it was his sense
that the world was not fair and the idea that, as a lawyer, he could at least
help make it fairer.
[For more on Dean Cafardi, read Duquesne Law Professor Joseph Sabino Mistick's TribLive Opinion Column here.]
[For more on Dean Cafardi, read Duquesne Law Professor Joseph Sabino Mistick's TribLive Opinion Column here.]
Staci is a second-year day student at
Duquesne Law and earned her bachelor’s degree at Marshall University, where she
studied public relations and journalism. Staci is interested in media law,
contracts, immigration law and intellectual property, but her dream job is
taking Matt Lauer’s place on the Today show. Staci can be reached at
standifords@duq.edu.
