Trump Taps Chicago-Area PAC President As Vatican Ambassador

CHICAGO — Brian Burch, a suburban Chicago resident and co-founder of the conservative political action committee CatholicVote, has been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump as the next U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.

Trump announced the pick last week on his social media platform, Truth Social.

“Brian is a devout Catholic, a father of nine, and President of CatholicVote," Trump wrote. "He has received numerous awards, and demonstrated exceptional leadership, helping build one of the largest Catholic advocacy groups in the Country.”

CatholicVote raised $1.7 million for Trump in 2024, according to OpenSecrets.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to have been nominated by President Trump to serve as the United States Ambassador to the Holy See,” Burch said in a statement on X. “I am committed to working with leaders inside the Vatican and the new Administration to promote the dignity of all people and the common good.”

Burch is also the president of the board at Seton Academy Catholic Montessori in Villa Park.

He spoke to the Chicago Sun-Times in 2022 about CatholicVote’s “Hide the Pride” campaign, which encouraged parents to preemptively check out books in Pride Month displays with subject matter related to "eroticism and trans ideology” in order to keep them away from children.