TRUMP NOMINATES CRITIC OF POPE FRANCIS

Brian Burch nominated as U.S. Ambassador to Holy See

CatholicVote President Brian Burch has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be the next U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. With the support of CatholicVote, Trump won the national Catholic vote by a 15-point margin: 56% to 41%. If confirmed, Burch knows that he has his work cut out for him given his past criticism of both Pope Francis and President Joe Biden who has staunchly supported abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.

One of the many duties of an ambassador is to protect the country's citizens living in the host country. However, in this case, the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See is called to protect Catholics living in the United States whose bishops answer only to the pope. So, if a bishop like ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick sexually abuses U.S. citizens, the U.S. government will expect the pope, who alone has the authority to discipline bishops, to hold him accountable in addition to facing criminal or civil prosecution. Because statutes of limitation often prevent abusive clerics from being tried in civil or criminal courts of law, bishops and priests who engage in or cover up abuse of U.S. citizens like Lisa Roers, Rachel Mastrogiacomo, and countless others should still be disciplined by the pope or the responsible Dicastery. Unfortunately, this is not happening insofar as over 150 bishops credibly accused of abusing minors or vulnerable adults in the world, and rapist priests like Father Marko Rupnik, have yet to be laicized or excommunicated by the pope for what in most cases constitutes criminal behavior.

Pope Francis and the U.S. Bishops who have failed to confront President Joe Biden on the killing of millions of innocent unborn children have gotten him to commute the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal inmates on death row “convicted of murdering Jews, women, and children.” Owing to the fact that gays and lesbians believe that “LGBT rights and abortion rights are inseparable,” it makes sense why the pope and closeted homosexual bishops and priests have no problem in giving holy communion to pro-abortion, pro-LGBTQ Biden. Unlike President-elect Trump, Biden cannot be expected to commute the unjust sentences of dozens of imprisoned pro-life activists who believe in the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.

The fact that Pope Francis suggested that Catholics need not breed “like rabbits” probably did not sit well with Burch who is the father of nine children. Like a number of Catholics today, Burch may question how “Catholic” the pope really is when it comes to issues like artificial contraception and homosexual behavior.

Pope Francis and the U.S. bishops, supported by Catholic Charities, have been accused of creating a humanitarian disaster by helping millions of immigrants enter the United States illegally for which they received millions of taxpayers dollars from the Biden administration. Judicial Watch and CatholicVote filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit for records of communication between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with Catholic organizations near the Texas border that were aiding illegal immigrants. According to Burch, “American Catholics deserve to know the full extent of the U.S. government’s role in funding and coordinating with Catholic Church-affiliated agencies at the border, and what role these agencies played in the record surge of illegal immigrants over the past year.”

In February 2024, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued a Catholic nonprofit, Annunciation House, based on allegations that the organization facilitated illegal immigration, exploited children, and participated in human trafficking. Unlike foreign skilled workers who enter a country legally and often have jobs awaiting them, those who enter illegally often find themselves homeless and without employment. It is no wonder that many of them steal or prostitute themselves in order to survive. Having been elected on the promise to deport millions of illegal immigrants, Trump’s new ambassador will make it clear to the Holy See that six in ten voters endorsed a “new national program to deport all undocumented immigrants.” Even a third of Democrats backed the idea. A crucial starting point will be to remove thousands of known illegal felons who are guilty of committing serious crimes both in their native countries and in the U.S.

Burch identified a “pattern of vindictiveness” in the way Francis governs and criticized him for creating “confusion” within the Catholic Church by attempting to change the Church’s teaching on human sexuality and the definition of marriage in allowing priests to bless individuals in same-sex unions. If Trump, even before his inauguration, has been able to get Mexico and Canada to crackdown on migration and narcotrafficking, it remains to be seen how he, Catholic Vice President-elect JD Vance, and Burch might influence the Holy See in disciplining clerics who engage in or cover up abuse; in respecting a country’s right to have secure borders; and in avoiding entering into secret accords with countries like China where Catholic leaders like Cardinal Joseph Zen are persecuted and charged with the heinous crime of providing legal support for human-rights activists. Based on his previous statements, one should not expect Burch to disagree with Wall Street Journal columnist, William McGurn, who wrote, “The pope declined to even say China was undemocratic. All that was missing was a cock crowing in the background.”

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Gene Thomas Gomulka is a sexual abuse victims’ advocate, investigative reporter, and screenwriter. A former Navy (O6) Captain/Chaplain, seminary instructor, and diocesan respect life director, Gomulka was ordained a priest for the Altoona-Johnstown diocese and later made a Prelate of Honor (Monsignor) by St. John Paul II. Email him at msgr.investigations@gmail.com.