Brian Burch, a faithful Catholic and critic of Pope Francis, affirmed his support of Trump’s decision to cut foreign spending in areas that are ‘not aligned with U.S. interests.’
(LifeSiteNews) — The co-founder of CatholicVote and President Donald Trump’s pick for Ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, defended cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) during his Senate Confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
Burch, a firm critic of Pope Francis, expressed his support of the Trump administration’s decision to cut aid toward areas “not aligned with U.S. interests,” in response to questioning and criticism from U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).
He declared that the Secretary of State, Marcio Rubio, who is also the acting administrator of USAID, “made clear when he took office that he was recharting, and refocusing our foreign aid on places that would make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”
“And I think those criteria have to be met by those places,” Burch added.
Shaheen had pointed out that the Catholic Church’s charitable arm, Caritas, had condemned the slashing of USAID as a decision fatal to “millions of people” and which would “condemn” many more to “dehumanizing poverty.”
Burch’s statement confirms that he represents the Trump administration’s priorities, independent of those of the current Catholic hierarchy.
The nominee for Vatican ambassador fully supports Catholic Church teaching, as does his organization CatholicVote, which advocates for the living out of Catholic teaching in public life. CatholicVote has supported the election of Trump, since the president’s policies have conformed more to Catholic teaching than those of his political rivals.
Trump praised this support when he announced Burch was his pick for Vatican ambassador, writing in December, "He represented me well during the last Election, having garnered more Catholic votes than any Presidential Candidate in History! Brian loves his Church and the United States - He will make us all proud."
However, Burch has sharply criticized Francis’ leadership, declaring that the pontiff has shown a "pattern of vindictiveness and punishment” that “seems to fly in the face of what he says about being an instrument of mercy and accompaniment.”
A father of nine, he has also lamented Francis’ statement that Catholics should not “breed like rabbits.”
