Not quite rite - the US closes the Vatican Embassy

And the reasons it gives simply do not add up -- from Barbara Hollingsworth writing at CNS News:

State Dept. Blames Closing of U.S. Embassy at Vatican on Benghazi--And Need of U.S. Gov't to Save Money
The U.S. State Department is blaming its decision to close the U.S. embassy to the Vatican on the Benghazi terrorist attack, saying that the embassy is too much of a security risk for U.S. diplomats.

"Security is our top priority in making this move," the State Department said in a statement sent to CNSNews.com by department spokesperson Nicole Thompson.

Gotta watch out for those rogue fundamental Catholics. The Embassy is not located inside the Vatican grounds, it is at Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00153 Rome. The US Embassy to Italy is at a different location - Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187 Rome. Data from here and here. About two miles apart as the crow flies. If they were planning to consolidate those two, they should have announced it as such. This is a slap in the face to the Vatican as these are two distinct sovereign entities. If we closed the German embassy and merged it with the French embassy, there would be an uproar. This is the same thing. To claim a similarity between that and Embassy compound in Benghazi is insane. The second reason:

As a secondary reason for closing the U.S. embassy at the Vatican the State Department cited the need of the U.S. government to save money.

"This move will also save the U.S. government money," said the department's statement. "The Embassy to the Holy See will move into unused space on the U.S. government compound in Rome, eliminating the lease costs being paid for its current location and maximizing use of space in a building that we own. It will also reduce operating costs, as our Embassy to the Holy See will be able to share guard and other services. We reject any suggestion that this decision, made for security and administrative reasons, constitutes a downgrading of our relations with the Holy See."

Well, the former ambassador begs to differ:

Former U.S. Ambassador to Vatican Jim Nicholson does not see it that way. He blasted the State Department�s move, saying he has �zero doubt� that the 165 counties with whom the Vatican maintains diplomatic ties will view it as �a reflection of the diminished role the State Department and this administration have for this very important diplomatic post.�

�If you diminish the stature, you diminish the influence,� Nicholson, who served as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican for four years, told CNSNews.com.

�And the stature of the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See is critical for its moral suasion, particularly for a country like ours that prides itself on protecting civil rights, stopping human trafficking, fighting for religious freedom and feeding the world. If you diminish that influence, you seriously jeopardize those goals,� he added.

Stupid is as stupid does...