St. Peter’s Basilica on July 12, 2025. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)
The U.S. Senate on Aug. 2 confirmed the co-founder of an anti-LGBTQ+ Catholic group to become the next U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.
Senators confirmed former CatholicVote President Brian Burch by a 49-44 vote margin.
President Donald Trump late last year nominated Burch for the ambassadorship.
The Vatican’s tone towards LGBTQ+ and intersex issues softened under Pope Francis’s papacy, even though church teachings on homosexuality and gender identity did not change.
Burch sharply criticized the Argentine-born pontiff’s 2023 decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples.
Francis died in April.
Pope Leo XIV in May reaffirmed Vatican doctrine that says marriage is between a man and a woman. The American-born pontiff, however, has said priests can continue to bless same-sex couples.
A Dec. 5, 2024, post on Catholic Vote’s website on the U.S. v. Skrmetti case notes the justices heard oral arguments on “whether Tennessee can protect children from puberty blockers, which chemically sterilize, and sexual surgeries that mutilate and castrate.” A second CatholicVotes post notes the justices grilled the Justice Department “on challenge to Tennessee protections for children against ‘transgender’ mutilations and sterilizations.”
The U.S. Supreme Court in June upheld the Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming health care for minors.
“I am profoundly grateful to President Trump and the U.S. Senate for this opportunity to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See,” said Burch in a statement CatholicVote released on Saturday. “I have the honor and privilege of serving in this role following the historic selection of the first American pope. In a remarkable coincidence, or what I prefer to attribute to Providence, Pope Leo XIV is from Chicago, which is also my hometown.”
“The relationship between the Holy See and the United States remains one of the most unique in the world, with the global reach and moral witness of the Catholic Church serving as a critical component of U.S. efforts to bring about peace and prosperity,” he added. “As a proud Catholic American, I look forward to representing President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Secretary Rubio in this important diplomatic post. I ask for the prayers of all Americans, especially my fellow Catholics, that I may serve honorably and faithfully in the noble adventure ahead.”
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