CatholicVote, a conservative activist group founded by Burch, endorsed Trump in both 2020 and 2024. 

“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 said about the nomination.

“Brian loves his Church and the United States — He will make us all proud,” He added.

Burch said he was “deeply honored and humbled” by the nomination. 

“The Catholic Church is the largest and most important religious institution in the world, and its relationship to the United States is of vital importance,” he said on social media, adding that 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.”

The Vatican is the center of the Roman Catholic Church and is the world’s smallest city, with an area of just 0.17 square miles. It has a small population of 764 as of 2023. 

The “Holy See” is the universal government of the Catholic Church and resides in Vatican City State, with the Pope being the leader of both the Holy See and Vatican City. The Holy See was recognized in 1984 during the Regan administration.

Burch has previously been critical of Pope Francis, the current leader of the Catholic Church, notably of Francis’s decision to remove some conservative church leaders, ousting one in Texas after a Vatican investigation.

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“The pattern of vindictiveness and punishment seems to fly in the face of what he says about being an instrument of mercy and accompaniment,” Burch told the New York Times.

According to exit polls, Catholic voters supported Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris by a 20-point margin. In 2020, Catholics in the U.S. supported President Joe Biden, the country’s second Catholic president, by a 5-point margin.