NEWS FEATURE: For Ambassador Lindy Boggs, public service is a divine mission

c. 1999 Religion News Service ROME _ When President Clinton offered the job of U.S. ambassador to the Vatican to former Rep. Lindy Boggs, D-La., in 1997, she was understandably hesitant. She was 81 years old and had left the public arena in 1990 after two decades in Congress. She enjoyed her grandchildren and her […]

c. 1999 Religion News Service

ROME _ When President Clinton offered the job of U.S. ambassador to the Vatican to former Rep. Lindy Boggs, D-La., in 1997, she was understandably hesitant. She was 81 years old and had left the public arena in 1990 after two decades in Congress. She enjoyed her grandchildren and her retirement.

As usual, she sought guidance at her parish church, the stately St. Louis Cathedral, nearby her Bourbon Street home in New Orleans. She scanned the cathedral and saw a statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, the patron saint of New Orleans, and a statue of Joan of Arc wielding a sword.


Recognizing their courage, Boggs says she realized her foolishness.”I said to myself, `Lindy Boggs, you are a sissy. If the president thinks you can do this, you at least ought to give this a try,'”Boggs, now 83, said recently in her office at the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican.

Boggs never envisioned a public life for herself until her husband Hale, the powerful Democratic leader of the House of Representatives, was lost in a plane crash over Alaska in 1972. She was elected to replace him and retired after nine terms.”I had finished my career,”she said in her spacious office overlooking the ruins of the Circus Maximus, an ancient chariot-racing arena.”This is a P.S.” It seems representing the world’s most powerful nation to one of the world’s most powerful churches suits Boggs just fine. The largely ceremonial post blends Boggs’ interest in politics with her deep faith that has sustained her through both triumph and tragedy.”I don’t think I would be in public service if it weren’t for a feeling of being able to help all of God’s children,”she said.”It’s about creating a better way of life for as many people as possible.” Making the transition from legislating to diplomacy has been an easy one, she said. There are times, however, when Boggs’ personal views clash with those of the Clinton administration.

Pope John Paul II has announced plans to visit holy sites in Iraq later this year, including Ur, the birthplace of the biblical patriarch Abraham. Part of the visit will include a meeting near Mount Sinai with leaders of the world’s monotheistic religions _ Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

U.S. officials have asked the pontiff to reconsider the trip, saying a meeting with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein could be used to legitimize Hussein’s regime.

Boggs said U.S. leaders need to understand the pope’s mission of peace to the heart of Christendom bears no political intent.”They would prefer there not be a visit to Iraq, but his desire for peace and his strong wish to have the monotheistic religions meet together and to put them under the cloak of Abraham is something that supersedes my own or anyone else’s views,”she said.

The United States has maintained an embassy at the Vatican, or Holy See, since 1984. The world’s smallest sovereign state contains about 450 residents and 3,000″foreigners”who work within the Vatican walls but do not live there. The pope is the supreme legislative, executive and judicial power at the Vatican.

Boggs’ position in Rome has allowed her to develop a close friendship with John Paul, although their interaction is limited. She accompanies official U.S. visitors to meet him and, earlier this year, traveled with the pope on his visit to St. Louis.


Boggs is of a generation tempered by hard times and tested by war, but yet one that saw unlimited possibilities in unfolding”America’s Century.”And, if ever there was a Washington power couple, Hale and Lindy Boggs were it. Jack Kennedy, a young senator from Massachusetts, was a frequent dinner guest. Boggs still counts Lady Bird Johnson as a close personal friend and former House Speaker Sam Rayburn was practically family.

While her husband shuffled legislation through Congress during his 30-year career, Lindy took an active role volunteering in civic activities and helping her husband maintain ties to the downtown New Orleans district.

She also raised three children. The oldest, Barbara, was mayor of Princeton, N.J. until her death in 1990. Their son, Tommy, is one of Washington’s most powerful lobbyists, while the youngest, Cokie Roberts, is a well known reporter and commentator for ABC News and National Public Radio. Boggs single-handedly catered the Roberts wedding _ at home _ for 1,500 guests, including President and Mrs. Johnson.

Politics was practically second nature for Lindy Boggs. Every generation of her family included an elected official since William Claiborne stepped ashore in Jamestown, Va., in 1607. So it seemed almost natural following her husband’s disappearance that she would run for his seat. Still dazed from the plane crash, Boggs won the election to become the first woman elected to Congress from Louisiana.

During her two decades in Washington, Boggs became a crusader for women’s equality in housing and banking and her public positions were molded by her deep religious faith.

For some, her political views are paradoxical. Conservatives applaud her strong anti-abortion stance, while liberals champion her commitment to social services and family health. Those who know her say her positions are”totally consistent”when one considers her faith.”It animates everything she does,”said her son-in-law, Steve Roberts, who writes a column with his wife Cokie for the New York Daily News and teaches at George Washington University.”She is one of the few people who really believe that the right to life … does not end at birth and leads to a very strong sense of Christian charity and mutual responsibility.” Her predecessor at the Vatican embassy, former Boston mayor Ray Flynn, said Boggs has resisted pressure to soften her political views at the expense of her religious convictions.”I’m really pleased she is following in the tradition of a strong Catholic mother,”Flynn said recently.”She’s not backing off on her religious beliefs and values. It can be a tough position to represent the United States to a religion you believe very strongly in without compromising your values and principles, and at the same time being loyal to your government.” Boggs, in her signature gracious Southern style, shies from such accolades. She says she is simply doing what God has called her to do. And even at 83 years old, Boggs says she has no plans to slow down, either. Her advice for other older Americans?”When I get old enough, I’ll answer that question,”she said.


DEA END ECKSTROM

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