President Donald Trump has nominated Brian Birch, president of the political advocacy group Catholic Vote and a fierce critic of Pope Francis, to be the next U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.
“Brian is a devout Catholic, father of nine children, and chairman of Catholic Vote,” President Trump wrote in announcing his nomination. “He represented me well in the last election, garnering more Catholic votes than any presidential candidate in history. Brian loves the Church and America. He made us all proud. It will be done.”
Birch, a socially conservative political activist who regularly promotes right-wing propaganda, has criticized the pope’s more liberal ideological leanings (within the context of the Catholic Church) and his preference for LGBTQ congregants. It has been particularly critical of the conciliatory approach.
Catholic Vote supported Trump’s presidential bid in both 2020 and 2024. The group has been highly critical of President Joe Biden, who identifies as Catholic while supporting abortion and LGBTQ rights, which the group considers to be incompatible with Catholic teachings.
Following Pope Francis’ 2023 decision to allow priests to give limited blessings to individuals in same-sex relationships, Birch appeared on the right-wing channel Newsmax and said: blew him up He was accused of causing “chaos” within the Catholic Church, which officially opposes and bans same-sex marriage.
Birch also said that Francis does not have much time left in office and that the next pope needs to “clarify” the church’s position on human sexuality.
Birch accused Francis of displaying a “pattern of vindictiveness” in governing the church after the pope removed conservative cardinals and bishops who were critical of his leadership.
Conservative Christian publications have also reported that Francis’ more liberal worldview has angered and driven out devout Catholics, causing them to seek spiritual guidance outside the church. insisted. stream.
As evidence, Birch cited the Pope’s 2015 statement that good Catholics don’t need to reproduce.like a rabbit” This was seen by social conservatives and defenders of pro-natalist political positions as an attack on both traditionalists’ support for large families and the Church’s stated policy against the use of contraception. .
Birch expressed criticism of liberal immigration policies that favor relations with President Trump, and criticized some Catholic Church-related institutions and charities that are said to be working with the Biden administration.
“American Catholics need to know the full extent of the U.S. government’s role in funding and coordinating Catholic Church-related agencies at the border and how these agencies have contributed to the record surge in illegal immigration over the past year. They have a right to know if they did their part,” Birch said. said In a 2022 statement, it announced a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit requesting communications between Catholic-affiliated organizations and federal agencies.
Birch’s nomination must be approved by the U.S. Senate and approved by the Vatican before he can take office. But some church observers believe President Trump may be sending a signal that the incoming presidential administration could become more hostile to the Vatican and especially Pope Francis.
“Mr. Birch is the exact opposite of a diplomat, an agitator,” said Stephen Millies, a professor of public theology and director of the Bernardin Center of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. national catholic reporter. “Difficult times are ahead for U.S.-Vatican relations.”
Massimo Fagioli, a theologian and church historian at Villanova University, said: reporter Trump’s nomination of Birch was “very telling,” he said.
“He’s been a front-line operative for Donald Trump, so I think this appointment speaks to the kind of relationship Donald Trump wants to have with the Vatican,” he said.
Callista Gingrich, wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, previously served as ambassador to the Vatican during President Trump’s first term and received much praise for her performance in that role. Gingrich was nominated by President Trump for his second term as ambassador to Switzerland.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
