Trump taps critic of Pope Francis for Vatican ambassadorship

President-elect Donald Trump said Friday that he is picking the head of a right-wing Catholic advocacy group and critic of Pope Francis to serve as ambassador to the Holy See, potentially teeing up tensions with the Vatican.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that Brian Burch, head of the group Catholic Vote, “loves his Church and the United States — He will make us all proud.” Trump also praised Burch for advocating for him and encouraging Catholics to vote for him in 2024.

Burch will face a Senate confirmation process, but it is unlikely he will encounter stiff resistance from Republicans, as his views aren’t considered controversial in the party.

Burch would be far from the first ambassador to the Holy See with a political background. Presidents from both parties have selected former elected officials who are practicing Catholics such as President Joe Biden picking Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana. Trump picked political activist Callista Gingrich in his first term. He also wouldn't be the first to have ideological or theological disagreements with the church.

But none of the picks to helm the Vatican to date would come into the role with as much a digital record of criticizing church leadership. On social media, Burch has criticized Francis’ leadership and shared the writings of some right-wing clerics who are critical of him. In 2023, he insinuated that church leaders were collaborating with controversial U.S. law enforcement probes into parishes that celebrated the Catholic Mass in Latin, a practice that was phased out decades ago for liturgy in local languages.

Writing on X, Burch said he is “committed to working with leaders inside the Vatican and the new Administration to promote the dignity of all people and the common good.”

Catholic Vote has engaged in tactics that have prompted criticism from more progressive factions of the U.S. church. In 2020, the organization used “geofencing” to identify Catholic voters who attended Mass in swing states and target them with ads boosting Trump.

At the time, Burch defended geofencing as needed to “reach our fellow Catholics in the pews” and “ensure that our fellow Catholic voters get the facts and hear the truth — not the latest lies peddled by the media.”