By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV welcomed Brian Burch as the new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See Sept. 13, accepting his letters of credential and a chocolate cake topped with a metallic red sign saying, “Happy Birthday Pope Leo XIV.”
Homemade cards for the pope’s 70th birthday Sept. 14 sat alongside the cake, apparently made by some of Ambassador Burch’s nine children, who also met the pope.
Burch’s audience with the pope had its very formal moments, too, as the 50-year-old ambassador, wearing a black tailcoat, presented Pope Leo with a letter from President Donald Trump introducing Burch as the 13th U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.
Pope Leo and Burch then met privately in the library of the Apostolic Palace.
In a series of posts on X, the embassy described the private meeting as “warm and constructive,” saying it including discussion of “an array of global challenges including conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and the war in Gaza.”
“They also touched on protecting religious freedom, the Vatican’s relationship with China, and the AI revolution,” the embassy said.
The two also spoke about “the tragic assassination of U.S. advocate Charlie Kirk,” the embassy said. Kirk, a conservative political activist and founder of the Republican-aligned Turning Point USA, was shot and killed Sept. 10 during a speaking engagement in Orem, Utah.
“Pope Leo underscored that our political differences can never be resolved with violence and told Ambassador Burch that he was praying for the widow of Mr. Kirk and his children,” the embassy added.
The ambassador “described the meeting as extraordinarily friendly, like talking to a friend back home in Chicago,” the posts continued.
Burch also introduced Pope Leo to his wife, Sara, and their nine children, daughter-in-law and granddaughter.
In December, even before taking office, Trump announced on Truth Social that he was going to nominate Burch as ambassador to the Vatican.
“Brian is a devout Catholic, a father of nine, and President of CatholicVote. He has received numerous awards, and demonstrated exceptional leadership, helping build one of the largest Catholic advocacy groups in the Country,” Trump wrote. Burch “represented me well during the last Election, having garnered more Catholic votes than any Presidential Candidate in History!”
Burch served as president of CatholicVote, a right-leaning political advocacy organization, from 2008 until his nomination as ambassador.
Born July 7, 1975, in Phoenix, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political philosophy from the University of Dallas.
He was confirmed as ambassador by the U.S. Senate Aug. 2 in a vote of 49-44 along party lines.
The Vatican and the U.S. government announced the establishment of full diplomatic relations Jan. 10, 1984.
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