Chosen by Donald Trump to represent the United States at the Vatican, the new ambassador Brian Burch was received by Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, substitute for the Secretariat of State, on September 1, 2025. Burch is expected to be received soon by Pope Leo XIV, with whom he shares a connection with Chicago, where he has been living in recent years.
The former head of CatholicVote has presented his credentials to Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra at the Vatican and will likely be received by the Pope very soon.
“I am profoundly grateful to President Trump and the United States Senate for this opportunity to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. I have the honor and privilege of serving in this role following the historic selection of the first American pope,” he said on X after his appointment was made official in August.
The role of Catholics in the Trump administration
Burch is not a career diplomat. However, as head of CatholicVote — a non-profit with no institutional ties to the Church — he worked to favor Donald Trump's return to the White House. This support is considered the context for his appointment. It is standard practice for American presidents to appoint ambassadors from among their supporters without them necessarily having a background in diplomacy.
Indeed, Trump's 2024 candidacy resonated with a significant portion of the Catholic vote, or was at least viewed by many as the better alternative in comparison with Democratic candidates. In 2024, nearly 3 out of 5 Catholics voted for Trump (56%, compared to 52% for Biden in 2020).
For his part, President Trump has surrounded himself with many Catholics. The most notable example is his vice president, J.D. Vance. His secretaries of state (Marco Rubio), health (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.), labor (Lori Chavez-DeRemer), education (Linda McMahon), and the new director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, are all Catholics as well.
Brian Burch’s background
Brian Burch is originally from Phoenix, Arizona, and is the father of nine children. A graduate in political philosophy from the University of Dallas, he is the author of several books on Catholicism for an American audience. In recent years he has lived in the suburbs of Chicago, the hometown of Pope Leo XIV.
In the past, Burch has been critical of Pope Francis. He particularly denounced his actions to limit the pre-conciliar liturgy. He also supported Bishop Joseph Strickland, who was removed by the Argentine pope from his diocese in Tyler, Texas, after openly questioning the magisterium.
His arrival in Rome as ambassador was delayed by numerous appeals filed by Democratic senators who were hostile to his appointment, but above all aimed at protesting Donald Trump's cancellation of international aid.
Having presented his official documents to Archbishop Peña Parra on Monday morning, Burch is now expected to be received by the Pope in the coming weeks to present his credentials. This is the normal procedure for all new ambassadors appointed to represent their countries to the Vatican.
