MINNESOTA
St. Cloud Times
A former St. John’s University professor, University of Dayton theology professor and former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican was accused last year of sexually harassing a married couple who also are professors at the University of Dayton, according to a report in an online higher education publication.
According to the story published Monday on InsideHigherEd.com, Miguel H. Diaz was “found to have likely engaged in ‘unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature’ toward a married couple” at the University of Dayton. The allegation was outlined in confidential letters to the alleged victims from Dayton Provost Joseph Saliba and Dayton’s general counsel, according to the letters obtained by the website and posted online.
Gabe Fuentes, a Chicago attorney for Diaz, said he had no comment.
Prior to being named the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, Diaz worked as a theology professor at St. John’s University from August 2004 until September 2009. He does not have lecturing privileges at St. John’s according to the university’s director of communication Michael Hemmesch.
Diaz, whose University of Dayton profile says he was ambassador to the Vatican from 2009-2012, is a professor of faith and culture at Dayton. He and his wife, Marian Diaz, have accepted faculty appointments at Loyola University, a Chicago Catholic university, according to the Loyola website.
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