One of Indiana’s Republican U.S. senators has endorsed the nomination of Democratic former Sen. Joe Donnelly as the country’s ambassador to the Vatican.
Sen. Todd Young offered his congratulations to Donnelly in a Twitter post on Saturday, a day after the White House announced President Joe Biden would nominate Donnelly for the position that requires Senate approval.
Congratulations to my former colleague and fellow Hoosier Joe Donnelly on his nomination to serve as ambassador to the Vatican. Joe is a devout Catholic and longtime public servant, and I know he will serve our nation well and represent the best of our Hoosier values. — Senator Todd Young (@SenToddYoung) October 9, 2021
“Joe is a devout Catholic and longtime public servant, and I know he will serve our nation well and represent the best of our Hoosier values,” Young’s post said.
Donnelly served six years in the U.S. House from a South Bend-area district before winning election to the Senate in 2012. He lost his 2018 reelection bid to Republican Mike Braun.
Donnelly has bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Notre Dame, where he has been a part-time professor while also working for the Washington law firm Akin Gump.
Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins called Donnelly “an ideal choice to represent the United States at the Vatican.”
“He will bring to this role a deep understanding of the issues currently facing our nation and the world, a genuine Catholic faith and an understanding of the role the Church can play in our world,” Jenkins said.