Kenneth Francis Hackett (born January 27, 1947) served as the United States Ambassador to the Holy See from August 2013 until January 2017.[1] He was previously president of Catholic Relief Services (CRS).[2]

Ken Hackett
United States Ambassador to the Holy See
In office
October 21, 2013 – January 20, 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byMiguel Díaz
Succeeded byCallista Gingrich
Personal details
Born
Kenneth Francis Hackett

(1947-01-27) January 27, 1947 (age 77)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materBoston College

Hackett attended Boston College, graduating in 1968. He then joined the Peace Corps and served in Ghana. Afterwards, he joined Catholic Relief Services (CRS), serving in Africa and Asia. He was named the president of CRS in 1993, retiring in 2011.[3]

He was nominated to the post as Ambassador by President Barack Obama in June 2013 and confirmed by the Senate on August 1, 2013.[4]

He presented his Letters of Credence to Pope Francis on October 21, 2013. In March 2016, he was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Pius IX, the highest Papal Award given to lay men and women. He took leave as Ambassador to the Holy See on 16 January 2017.[5]

Awards and honors

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Hackett received nineteen honorary doctorates from American Catholic universities. The University of Notre Dame awarded him the Laetare Medal in 2012.[6] In 2005, he was appointed to the Board of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, where he served until 2009. [7]

References

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  1. ^ Gibson, David (August 3, 2013). "Ken Hackett Is Next Vatican Ambassador: Former Charity Head Unanimously Confirmed By Senate". Huffington Post.
  2. ^ "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR KENNETH HACKETT" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 8 March 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  3. ^ Pitts, Jonathan (June 14, 2013). "Obama names former CRS head ambassador to the Vatican". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on October 4, 2015.
  4. ^ "Former charity head confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Vatican". Washington Post. August 2, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  5. ^ "Le Udienze". press.vatican.va. 16 January 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  6. ^ "Ken Hackett, Notre Dame Laetare medalist, nominated U.S. ambassador to the Holy See". Notre Dame News. June 20, 2013.
  7. ^ "A farewell". Millennium Challenge Corporation. 2009-10-29. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  8. ^ "Hackett, Kenneth Francis". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
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Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to the Holy See
2013–2017
Succeeded by