all these bad priests that are going around doing what they're doing? in the philippines, i'm sure we will see the constituent catholic relief agencies involved. they were there in haiti when there were the horrible earthquakes, as well is a and unitedrders states. he did not elaborate, but he talked about bad priests. the u.s.e scandal and and some parts of western europe may have impacted the influence of the holy see diplomatically, but not a whole lot. many of the areas where religious freedom and human dignity are most at risk politically are areas far removed from the abuse scandals in the u.s. the fundamental principles of the holy see diplomacy is on an entirely different plane than

the unfortunate conduct that is been exhibited amongst some priests in the u.s. host: darlene from indiana, democrats' line. church.i go to i left church. badle keep mentioning priests. there is bad in all churches. but why do you not bring the church back into school like it was when i went to school? if you don't believe in god, that is their issue. they have more rights than we do. catholics should be brought back into school. any religion, as long as it's god, should be brought back into school. guest: one of the two pillars of pope benedict's diplomacy has been to oppose the rise of secularism in the west, and to of times examples where religion and morality become attenuated in everyday

life of citizens and in government architectures of various countries seems to undermine the stability of those governments or the ability of those governments to stay focused on justice and freedom come and sometimes they become authoritarian. we have many bad instances of that in the history of the world. it is to make sure that more values, and the institutionalization that religion can bring to the impact of morality and moral principles in government is an important issue. host: what you think about pope francis, especially statements he has made about homosexuality, and statements he made about social welfare issues? how did he compare to benedict? guest: as a person from the new world like all of us, i'm excited to have a pope from the new world who is free from some of the eurocentric baggage that has been part of the historical culture of every preceding pope.

he's talking about reforming the curia, which is a good idea, too -- the lastrchical pails of monarchism into the holy see and bring it into a modern governments architecture. -- governance architecture. i'm hoping the latin pope will be able to use the social justice platform he put forth to call for a more people centric foreign policy in latin america, which is based on providing education and employment and betterment to the people, therefore building a stable building block for future democracy. host: how much do degree -- agree about his statements on helmick -- homosexuality? i think he is seeing a good thing, let's not have the entire discussion in the church focused on a few issues.

if we believe in the separation of church and state, why have ambassador to the holy see? guest: this mission has nothing to do with church. this mission has to do with the diplomatic impact that the holy see can have, and to leverage the fundamental principles important in our foreign policy as well as their diplomacy. we have other ambassadorships to other religious institutions? guest: no. there is no other religious institution that has been perceived as a sovereign. has been perceived as a sovereign nation for 1200 years, even though it lacks territory and a hegemon us agenda. agenda.oneous host: the book is "the global vatican," written by francis

rooney. mark is from fort phil, north dakota on the republican line. about: the guest talked iraq and islamic extremism. experts agree that the majority of the islamic extremism and terrorism that comes from it in andes like iraq and syria north africa and pakistan, it's , form of neofascism particularly a sect known as wahhabism. june 6, 23 in a senate judiciary saidttee, chairman jon kyl the problem we are looking at today is the state-sponsored and funding of an extremist ideology that provides recruiting grounds, support, and money.ure, he is a republican.

chuck schumer said the same the saudi government must repudiate wahhabism. host: what would you like our guest to address? guest: why doesn't the holy see encourage american leaders to go to the source of extremism, which is the saudi government that finances terrorism and extremist schools all over the world? guest: that's a great comment. you need to read my book. moreholy see has spoken up clearly and aggressively than most elected officials about the impact of the sunni shiite, the intractable hatred and lies in the schism between sunnis and shiites as well as the wahhabism spreading too hereto for secular areas of north africa.

we are reaping the fruits now of .0 years of radical madrasahs it is a serious problem. it is a serious problem to try to reconcile the sunni-shiite situation trade that is one of the reasons the holy see -- si tuation. that is one of the reasons the holy see -- caller: hello. gentlemanering if the could tell me whether he thinks that pope francis, who seems to be very progressive, will he granted audience with a group of native americans who have been trying to get an audience with the appleoncerning rule that was declaring -- papal ale that was the clearing

right for taking over their lands because they were not christian, their lands could be taken over. do you think this will ever happen with the pope we have now? guest: it's a little above my pay grade to answer a question like that, not being directly involved with pope francis's diplomacy at this point. you look at the things you said about social justice and humanity. he's a new world pope who is much more accustomed to indigenous peoples and the kind of melting pot that characterizes the western hemisphere. you have to figure the conditions are more likely for access. where is the u.s. embassy at the vatican? guest: it is on the circus maximus. it is the place where most christians were martyred.

the "nationals of catholic reporter" say there is debate from moving the embassy to the u.s. embassy in italy. guest: there is. the u.s. embassy bought a large building back in president bush's first term. build itan effort to up. there are some issues with our building. there is a legitimate argument about security. i have mentioned in that article to john allen that there is a risk of diminution of the prestige and influence of our mission there to co-locate on embassy grounds. it would be better if the government feels that in the need tobenghazi that we harden up the building. there's a lot of opportunities to read something different. there's a nominal cost difference coul. host: you don't think it is a

discounting of a perception as far as the vatican and holy see? guest: i fear the code location could become a diminution of its -- co-location could become a diminution of its influence. c-span has to have its own studio. when you don't have your own building, you're kind of opening yourself up to being ignored and marginalized. guest: our guest is the ambassador to the holy see from 2005 to 2008. "the global vatican" is the title of that book. he is talking about his oferiences at the perception the united states having a position there. lineler is on a democrat's from tennessee. caller: doesn't separation of

church and state means schools, the separation of church from schools, church from government buildings? isn't that what the separation is supposed to be? i think kids are going to school to learn math, english, history. they're not going there to learn god. that is what church for. it should be separated. they should change the pledge of allegiance to one nation under all gods and all beliefs. that would be justice for all. guest: you're hitting on an issue that runs throughout america right now. not a week goes by that we don't see something written or said about the role of prayer in schools, and the role of religion in the government. i go back to what i said in the book, that secularism is a dangerous trend because one religion and morals are too

attenuated from the daily life of citizens, bad things can happen in government. there is a high correlation between religiosity and morality and good behaviors like civic activity, good parenting, and things like that. there are many examples in history where religion is confined to what takes place in a building and becomes divorced from the average behavior of people. the first amendment constitution says the government will not establish a religion, but it also says it won't do anything to abridge the free expression of religion. people like me who argue for a role in the pledge of allegiance for one nation under god or in teaching religion to children is under the side of freedom to express religion and make sure religion has a broad role in civil society. host: what was your day job before this? guest: running a construction company. i'm going back to it.

we have a team that is been in the family. i staffed up to rome for three years. i left the team intact. worldwidef catholics in the united states. that according to the pew research center. number ofthe catholics in united states as is theworldwide, what influence of the catholic church in the united states as it currently stands? guest: the historic, deep religiosity and focus on family which is in the latin culture is a huge opportunity for the church and a huge opportunity for our country to reinforce our dedication on the sounding principles of human dignity, religious freedom, family, and

willingness to oppose the state when it encroaches. 11 people that i know i'm a which is many of them -- the latin people that i know, which is many of them, are vigorous in defending their individual rights and liberty and those of their family against government encroachment. host: a viewer is asking you about the poetic position -- diplomatic position. guest: the vatican is signatory to most important international agreements. their unofficial observer at the u.n. u.n.rent constituent agencies, including agricultural organizations in rome. a starkly, they have signed some of the most important treaties throughout history. , they humanitarian area

are particularly useful with working with constituencies. caller: good morning. in the previous section on immigration, a caller from california spoke the actual truth. the professor from columbia said the caller telling the truth had a misconception. people prefer vice to virtue, and they want truth also to be a misconception. love and is, god is god is truth. also that 70,000 people saw the miracle of the sun in 1917. the rejected message as well as the miracle is a truth. is, repent and believe the good, good news. host: what would you like our guest to address? caller: when i heard all of the

comments on the previous callers , this was a revelation to me that people -- reject god, love, and truth. to reinforce the common sense and truth and love , andhe is talking about additionally, is necessary in this country. i'm not sure if you're responding to the previous guest's question about immigration or diplomacy of the holy see, but they are related to the fundamental principle of protection of human dignity and spread of freedom. immigration discussion that was held earlier and that interesting idea that the professor from columbia has, i read that article on foreign affairs a few weeks ago.

the right to a concept of nurturing human dignity and protecting the individual rights of people. host: what is the current administration's current relationship with the holy see?> guest: it is no secret there have been some positions taken by the administration that the church seriously disagrees with, recently with the insurance feelte, which many people tends to undermine the first amendment religious freedom. despite that, there are many areas where the holy see and u.s. continue to work together. programs about trafficking and people seeking to impose that governments, things like that. i wish the obama administration would see despite this to domestic,- the political things, there are many areas where we can continue to leverage our common interests.

i wish it were less attenuated than it is. i'm hopeful here in the final few years a president obama's presidency that he will deploy the secretary of state, state department to leverage the holy see's voice in these fundamental principles of religious freedom, human unity, opposing autocratic governments. host: are you saying that the vatican and holy see has taken a position on what we are doing with the affordable care act? cardinals in the u.s. have taken a strong position on the affordable care act. that is probably caused -- i would assume that's part of the chill and lack of enthusiasm for engaging the holy see on the part of the administration. george bush had a huge administration for working with the holy see. this administration has been a bit more reticent. host: is there an ambassador currently? guest: there is.

wasame from baltimore, involved with catholic charities for many years, knows his way around the vatican. i'm hopeful. we have a new pub, a new ambassador, and a country -- p ope, a new ambassador, and a country based on the same principles. relatesmy question further back. 1991, december 25, the soviet union fell. willsecular historians attribute that to ronald reagan's economic doctrine. if you could articulate, what is and position on john paul's the fall of the soviet union? guest: you will really enjoy the

book. i put a lot of things in there about this critical time for the and the unique parallel activity of ronald reagan, margaret thatcher, and he holy see. it is a recent highlight of holy see the nomadic activity, culminating with a quote from which says, everything that happened in eastern europe would have been impossible without the pope. john paul went to poland in 1979 and wanted to go to the shipyard. the man said no. he said, i'm going to leave and make an international incident. solidarity,enthused and the rest is history. he went back if you years later saidfew years later and poland is one great big concentration cap -- camp.

the uniques to stature of the holy see is a soft power player without a territorial agenda, and not needing to take credit for what they do. there's is no doubt that john paul played a huge role in the ending of communism. i hope you enjoy that part of the book. host: robert is on the democrats' line in brooklyn, new york. the ambassador made reference to an erroneous connection between religion and morality. have number of studies shown that atheists are ms. -- underrepresented in the prison population and are massively overrepresented among scientists, especially in a .ational academy of scientists if religion is necessary former elegy, the academy of scientists ought to be a pack of rapists,

thieves, and murderous. how does the ambassador account for this? religion has played a role and can play a role in institutionalizing and organizing the application of moral principles in a society, but it's not necessarily the exclusive role. fundamental principle is that you have to have good moral principles as a foundation for justice. host: our guest with us for a few more minutes. robert from new york. here is mary from pennsylvania, republican line. mary, are you there? my question is, uighurs so much about everyone else's rights. if you are a single person and you can have six kids, you are being rewarded. systems no reward anymore for being a married couple trying to make it and do

the right thing. you get married, you have children. so have the kids first, it is a distraction of the family. -- destruction of the family. i was raised catholic. i saw they have let that ball drop. now it is so out of control that were trying to figure a way out of this big mess. guest: i think your question should be directed to a cleric or the social agenda or domestic agenda of the administration. is dealing with the diplomatic engagement of the holy see and u.s. i think it's more of a domestic policy question. host: what was your greatest accomplishment during your term? guest: we helped shape the iraq debate.

i also like to think that we advanced understanding of the linkage between the u.s. and holy see in the area of human , the catholic organizations in africa. 27% of all aids patients are dealt with in catholic institutions. , formerancis rooney ambassador to the holy see then the washington examiner teen your political analyst michael barone talks about the immigration debate. then the former executive director of the commonwealth

health authority. he compares the health insurance exchanges with those that he created in massachusetts in 2006. washington journal is live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on cease and. -- on c-span. in his weekly address, president obama affirmed his commitment to creating growth and jobs. congressman mike burgess gave the republican address. he criticized the poor rollout of the health care law. >> i know that many of you have never been more frustrated with washington. if you look beyond those headlines, there are good things happening with our economy.

that has been my priority since the day i walked into the oval office. the middle-class has worked harder and harder to keep up. we made the tough choices required, not just to be cover from crisis but to rebuild on new foundations for a stronger, more durable economic growth. we fought our way back. our business is created 7.8 million jobs. another 200,000 americans went back to work last month. the american auto industry has become boring back -- has, boring back --roaring back. we are leading the charge in a manufacturing's sector that has added jobs since the 1990s. our businesses sell more goods and services made in america than ever before full we decided to reverse our addiction to foreign oil.

we generate more renewable energy than ever. more natural gas than anybody. years, first time in 20 america now produces more oil than we buy from other countries full we decided to fix a broken health care system. 500,000 americans are poised to gain health coverage starting january 1. care costs, health- are growing at their slowest rate in 50 years. one more thing, since i took office, we have cut our deficit by more than half. that makes it easier to invest in the things that create jobs. education, research, and infrastructure. imagine how much farther along we would be if both parties were working together. itnk about what we could do a reckless view did not hold the economy hostage every few months are waste time on trying to retail the affordable care act instead of fixing it.

in the weeks ahead, i will continue to talk about my plan to build a better bargain for the middle-class. a chance to buy a home, save and retire. financial security of affordable health care. i will look for any willing partners who want to help. your hard work in tough sacrifices pointed in the right direction, but we have more work to do to keep moving that way. as long as i'm president, i will keep doing everything he can to create jobs, grow the economy, and make sure that everyone who works hard have a chance to grow. thanks. have a great weekend. >> i am dr. michael burgess. i have spent 25 years practicing medicine in north texas. then i was elected to the house of representatives. i am chair of the health care oversight committee. this week we held the ministration accountable once again further failed promises to the american people and their it minute -- misleading statements

to congress. the reality of the health care law does not match what the president promised. the website was launched before was finished. waves of cancellation letters, these are shock of high premiums, coupled with ever increasing deductibles. many families are now learning that they may not just lose their plans, but if they like their doctors, they may lose their doctors to. in part, there's a shortage of primary care physicians. many of these plans will pay doctors less. whose waiting rooms are evil have chosen not to participate in the new plans. it is a train wreck for doctors and patients. if the trainer for the american people. this is only the beginning. a stack of sad stories comes in. we receive letters from small business owners. he said that his premiums are set to rise by 22%.

that his company will be taken down. it may hurt the people who are trying to make a living. louisville said that her deductible will double. premiums will go up as well. to start a for us family next year, it will cost over 50% of our combined family income before we even get insurance to cover that child. another woman, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 14 years ago. she is about to lose her coverage. when trying to sign up for a new plan, she was told she had to have her identity verified. she went through all the steps to do that, but then she never heard back. when she called a couple of weeks later to find out how long it would take, they had no answer. this is beyond stressful she writes. can i continue to see mine are all just