Vatican nixes Argentina's ambassador on grounds of divorce
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
According to press accounts in Argentina, the country's nominee to become ambassador to the Holy See, Alberto Iribarne, has been rejected by the Vatican on the grounds that he's divorced and living with another woman.
Technically speaking, sources said, the Vatican has not explicitly turned down Iribarne's nomination, but it has rather declined to grant the necessary accreditation since his name was submitted in mid-December. Under the terms of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, a state is free to refuse a given ambassadorial nominee, and is not obligated to furnish a reason.