Willard "Mitt" Romney

It is an endorsement that could hurt and help Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts Governor was endorsed by five ambassadors to the Vatican. These five are the ambassadors from the United States to the Vatican. All but one of them was appointed by a Republican, and all are largely Conservative.

They endorsed Mormon Mitt Romney over Radical Reactionary Catholic Rick Santorum and recent Catholic convert Newt Gingrich.

It is unlikely that their endorsement will really help Romney with Catholics, but it could hurt him with Evangelicals who already believe that Catholicism and Mormonism are cults. The five support Romney because of his supposed commitment to “traditional values”, whatever those happen to be, and because of his “outstanding record in defense of marriage and the family, we are confident that he understands the importance of strong families as pillars of a vibrant economy and a flourishing polity.”

The ambassadors who support Romney are:

Thomas Patrick Melady (U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See 1989-1993)
Raymond L. Flynn (U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See 1993-1997)
James Nicholson (U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See 2001-2005)
Francis Rooney (U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See 2005-2008)
Mary Ann Glendon (U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See 2008-2009)

Via The New York Times