Brian Burch, co-founder and former president of CatholicVote, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Saturday as the Ambassador to the Holy See.
He was confirmed largely along party lines in a 49-44 vote, with four Republican Senators and three Democrats not voting.
Newsweek reached out via email to the press teams of the four Republican senators who did not cast a vote on his confirmation on Saturday.
Burch, who has been critical of decisions made by the late Pope Francis, was nominated by President Donald Trump for the position in December.
“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,” Burch said in an X post on Saturday. “I have the honor and privilege of serving in this role following the historic selection of the first American pope.”
Burch previously said the pope’s 2023 decision allowing priests to bless individuals in same-sex unions created “confusion” within the church.
He also predicted that the pontiff would not be in office much longer and characterized Francis’ leadership as having a “pattern of vindictiveness.”
This is a breaking news story. Updates to come.
Update 8/2/25, 5:55 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
The post Pope Francis Critic Brian Burch Confirmed as Vatican Ambassador appeared first on Newsweek.
