WASHINGTON (CNS) — Catholic theologian Miguel Diaz was confirmed by the U.S. Senate Aug. 4 as the ninth U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. A professor of theology at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn., and St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn., Diaz is the first Hispanic to serve in the post.

Diaz issued a statement through St. John’s University Aug. 5, saying he was grateful to President Barack Obama “for the confidence he has invested in me” and to the Senate for its vote. “I am honored to be given the responsibility of representing the people of the United States to the Holy See,” he said in the statement posted on the Web site of St. John’s University. “I very much appreciate the support of all those who have reached out to me and to my family with their prayers and best wishes during this process.”

He also said he planned to move his family to Rome and present his credentials to Pope Benedict XVI as soon as possible. His wife, Marian, directs Companions on a Journey and CORAD: Heart Speaks to Heart at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University. The couple have four children.