Brian Burch confirmed as US ambassador to the Holy See after Senate vote

Brian Burch has been confirmed by the United States Senate as ambassador to the Holy See. The vote took place on 2 August 2025 and passed by 49 votes to 44 following several months of delay caused by Democrat opposition in the Senate.

Burch is the co-founder and former president of CatholicVote, a lay-run advocacy organisation established in 2005. The group has since become a prominent actor in American political life, championing conservative and mobilising Catholic votes.

The nomination advanced earlier this year through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on a party-line vote. Republican senators voted in favour of Burch, while Democrats voted against. Opposition from Democrat members caused the nomination to stall until a full Senate vote could be scheduled.

During his confirmation hearing in April 2025, Burch responded to questions about foreign aid, Vatican diplomacy, and religious freedom. Senators pressed him on the Holy See’s relationship with China and its role in peacebuilding efforts in war-torn regions.

Burch succeeds former Indiana senator and Democrat Joe Donnelly and becomes the thirteenth American ambassador to the Holy See since full diplomatic relations were established in 1984. The post is based in Rome and serves as the official channel between the United States and the Vatican City State.

Burch is originally from the Archdiocese of Chicago, meaning that the Archdiocese now claims both the Pope and the US envoy to the Holy See. 

CatholicVote welcomed the confirmation and noted that Burch’s appointment continues the organisation’s mission of lay involvement in public life.

The group is now lead by their new president, Kelsey Reinhardt. The former member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, has significant experience in positions across the Church having been executive director of the ACI Group — a global network of Catholic news agencies operated by EWTN News — as well as working with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and in college evangelization 

“CatholicVote joyfully celebrates the confirmation of Brian Burch to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, the governing body of the largest and most important religious institution in the world,” said Reinhardt. “For the past 17 years, Brian has faithfully championed CatholicVote’s mission to inspire American Catholics to live their faith in public life. We are confident that he will similarly excel in this new role and are forever grateful for the foundation he laid and the impact he had on millions of Catholics across the Nation”

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