US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Brian Burch as the next US ambassador to the Holy See. Burch, the president of the political advocacy group CatholicVote, will take on the role next year.
“Brian is a devout Catholic, a father of nine, and President of CatholicVote,” Trump said in a statement. “He has received numerous awards and demonstrated exceptional leadership, helping build one of the largest Catholic advocacy groups in the country. He represented me well during the last election, having garnered more Catholic votes than any presidential candidate in history!”
“Brian loves his Church and the United States – he will make us all proud,” Trump added.
CatholicVote is a conservative political advocacy group that endorsed Trump in January and ran ads in support of the president-elect during his campaign. The group previously reported spending ten million dollars on the campaign.
Burch expressed his gratitude on social media platform X, saying he is “deeply honoured and humbled to have been nominated” for the position.
“Words cannot express my gratitude to all those who have helped me achieve this nomination, most especially my wife Sara, my nine beautiful children, my CV team, and all those who supported me in this journey. I am especially grateful to my father, who passed to eternal life this past June, who taught me to love the Church and the blessings and responsibilities of being a citizen of the US.”
Burch is the co-author of The America Catholic Daily Reader and the author of A New Catholic Moment: Donald Trump and the Politics of the Common Good, published in 2020. He studied political philosophy at the University of Dallas and currently resides in the Chicago suburbs with his family.
“The role of ambassador is to represent the government of the United States in its relations with the Holy See. The Catholic Church is the largest and most important religious institution in the world, and its relationship with the United States is of vital importance,” he added. “I am committed to working with leaders inside the Vatican and the new administration to promote the dignity of all people and the common good. I look forward to the confirmation process and the opportunity to continue to serve my country and the Church. To God be the glory.”