In 2025, Brian Burch, BA ’97, was nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the United States Senate as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. A participant in the Rome program and founder of CatholicVote, Ambassador Burch took the time to answer several questions about his experience in this new role and the move back to Rome with his family.
What was the process like to become appointed as ambassador? What was it like to receive the news?
I first learned that my name was being discussed as the potential U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See in the weeks following the 2024 election. Following every election, a presidential transition team is formed to advise the president on key appointments, which include his cabinet, key agencies and posts within the government, including the State Department, which is charged with the diplomatic work of the United States around the world. I had several conversations with former ambassadors along with advisors to the president that I knew to discuss the prospect of such an appointment and whether I was a good fit for the role. As the process unfolded, I learned that the president had narrowed the list to a few very qualified candidates and that I was among those he was considering.
My wife Sara (UDallas Class of ’97) recommended that we pray the Surrender Novena, as well as prayers to Our Lady of Guadalupe for her intercession. On the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe last December, I received a phone call from a friend close to the president. A few days later I received the historic call that began with an advisor saying, “stand by for the President of the United States.” And thus began the extensive process of background investigations and disclosures to the federal government, which cleared me to be considered by the United States Senate. During the next six months, I attended “ambassador school” to learn about the responsibilities of a U.S. diplomat. I also prepared for my confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. After being cleared by the committee, I waited an additional three months before the full senate approved my nomination. Three weeks later we departed for Rome.
I read you have nine children! What was it like planning to move the whole family to Rome?
Having nine children is not common in the United States, and very uncommon in Italy – at least in recent decades. My children were equally excited by the prospect of moving to Rome, seeing St. Peter’s, and eating pasta regularly. The planning involved deciding what schools they would attend as well as what clothes, books, and toys they would bring to Rome, and which favorite things would have to be left behind for the next three and a half years. Some of my children are recent college graduates and remain in the United States.
We have five kids living with us now at Villa Richardson, the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, which has been the home of every U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See since the 1980s. The property is approximately one mile from the Vatican on the Janiculum Hill and is designed to allow the ambassador to host regular events and includes beautiful gardens and a yard. Just because we moved to Rome doesn’t mean we ceased living our life as a typical American family. Visitors to the residence can now spot some bikes and soccer balls, and even a few Lego and Playmobil toys if they look closely. The kids often enjoy participating in the dinners and parties we host. It felt odd at first, but we have made it our home over the past few months, and we are honored to regularly welcome guests from the United States and officials from the Vatican.
I’m guessing there is no average day as Ambassador. That said, could you explain a little about what your job entails?
The most important meeting I have had since my arrival was the presentation of my credentials to the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. Every ambassador participates in a formal ceremony where they present their diplomatic credentials to the head of state of the host country where they will represent the United States. I handed a personal letter from President Trump to Pope Leo designating me as his representative, and then was able to spend 40 minutes with him in his personal library. Since that time, I regularly have meetings with the heads of dicasteries, which are the administrative departments in the Vatican, as well as ambassadors from other countries, religious orders, seminaries, non-profit agencies, and other leaders living in Rome, which impact the relationship between the Holy See and the United States. I work each day with a superb team that helps with developing how best to advance U.S. policies at the Vatican, along with our protocol and public diplomacy team. The embassy is a beautiful historic building guarded by the U.S. Marines. It includes a gym, bank, and small market where U.S. employees can buy American things like food and medicines. My kids occasionally ask me to buy them some Doritos or Dr. Pepper!
Is there a part of the job that you are particularly enjoying or looking forward to?
My UD education prepared me well to take on the work required of an ambassador. As a diplomat, you have to be diplomatic, of course. And that means learning to talk with all kinds of people with differing views and perspectives, as well as priests, bishops and cardinals, all working in unique ways to serve the Church, as well as to advance relations with countries like the United States. This involves conversations about history, philosophy, theology, and of course public policy. I especially enjoy the challenge of thinking anew about how the U.S. and the Holy See can work more closely to preserve and protect the principles of the west that undergird our country and that are shaping U.S. foreign policy. I always enjoyed these theoretical discussions, but my work now involves talking directly with policy makers and key leaders in the Vatican that help influence the pope and inform his words, documents, and addresses that shape the world.
You went to Rome as a UDallas student. What does it feel like to be back?
I had the fortune of being in the first class to study on the campus at Due Santi in 1994. In fact, I arrived a day earlier than my classmates, so I may have been the first real student to step foot on the new campus. Like most students who are fortunate to study in Rome, the experience was hugely formative. Studying in Rome brought everything we were reading and studying alive, and awakened in me a deep appreciation of the great tradition that has informed western civilization. At the heart of Rome, of course, is also the Catholic Church, with its magnificent history, art, sculpture and tradition. Every church is awe inspiring, and a testament to the dedication of generations that sought to glorify God with beauty. While history and beauty abound in Rome, I think my favorite part of my experience at UD, and still today, is the human scale of the city. The winding cobblestone streets, cafes, restaurants and shops sit adjacent to magnificent churches. Every street seems to have a story that makes the whole experience of Rome enchanting.
How is this position tied to your Catholic faith?
You need not be a Catholic to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. But I do believe my Catholic faith helps me to understand the role of the Church in the world, and how the principles that inform Catholic social teaching relate to American foreign policy. The foundational belief in the dignity of every human person, proposed and taught by the Church, also happens to be the basis of our own nation’s founding, exemplified in our Declaration of Independence. For this reason, my efforts to reconcile and advance the shared interests of the U.S. and the Vatican are of mutual service. It is an extraordinary honor to serve in a capacity where my work involves helping to advance the interests of my country in a way that also seeks to elevate the influence of the Church in the world.
How has your UD education helped you in your career thus far?
I was a politics major at UD, in the class of 1997. I can’t think of a better program to prepare a person to serve as a diplomat, let alone as the ambassador to the Holy See. My work regularly involves references to history, philosophy and theology, and of course politics. The value of an authentic liberal arts education has never been more important. I know this to be true, evidenced recently by my conversations with the Vatican around AI. The issue concerns the dignity of work, education, science and technology, and even being itself. A UD education seeks to answer certain fundamental questions, such as what it means to be human, that continue to have relevance today. In fact, the answers to the questions I wrestled with in the classrooms in Irving and Rome remain the same questions being debated today. As our world is being transformed by AI, I can’t help but think about the adage “learn to code.” If UD had an unofficial slogan, it should be “learn to think.” It certainly helped me do so, and I am proud to call it my alma mater.
