Samantha Power Samantha Power, US President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the United States’ international aid agency, is a pro-choice Catholic who comes from Ireland.
If confirmed, Ms Power would head up the US Agency for International Development, a position which Mr Biden has announced he’s elevating to the National Security Council.
Speaking to the U.S. Catholic, Ms Power spoke about her Irish origins, and how her Catholicism took root here as she grew up.
“Both my parents are from Ireland. I lived in Ireland until I was nine years old and went to a Catholic school. In that structure I was not only grounded in the beginnings of my moral education and Catholic teaching, but I also developed habits of expressing my faith outside of formal structures that are still with me today and that I practice with my kids,” Ms Power said.
Ms Power’s interest in international aid was stoked by her Irish upbringing, describing Ireland’s humanitarian efforts as a great “export”.
“The good that so many of these priests and people of faith were doing to help people in vulnerable circumstances… It was inspiring to know that a small country such as ours was sending into the world people of great generosity and spirit,” she said.
The former US Ambassador to the United Nations professed her support for the repeal of the Eighth Amendment in a 2018 appearance on The Irish Times Women’s Podcast, responding “yeah, absolutely”, when asked whether she supported the repeal.