| Ambassador of the United States to the Holy See | |
|---|---|
| Apostolicae Sedis Legatus Civitatum Foederatarum Ambasciatore della Sede Apostolica negli Stati Uniti | |
 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
 Flag of a United States ambassador | |
 | |
| Nominator | Thepresident of the United States |
| Appointer | Thepresident withSenateadvice and consent |
| Inaugural holder | William A. Wilson as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary |
| Formation | April 9, 1984 |
| Website | va |
Theambassador of the United States to the Holy See (Latin:Apostolicae Sedis Legatus Civitatum Foederatarum;Italian:Ambasciatore della Sede Apostolica negli Stati Uniti) is theofficial representative of theUnited States of America to theHoly See, the leadership of theCatholic Church. The official representation began with the formal opening of diplomatic relations with the Holy See byPresidentRonald Reagan andPope John Paul II in 1984.[1]
Before the establishment of formal diplomatic relations, PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt's Postmaster GeneralJames Farley was the first high-ranking government official to normalize relations with the Holy See in 1933.[2] In addition,Myron Taylor would serve duringWorld War II as an emissary for PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt. In 1951, PresidentHarry S. Truman's pick of World War II heroMark W. Clark was defeated.
Between 1951 and 1968, the United States had no official representative accredited to the Holy See. PresidentRichard Nixon changed this when he appointedHenry Cabot Lodge Jr. as his personal representative. PresidentJimmy Carter followed with the appointment of former New York City mayorRobert F. Wagner Jr. Every ambassador to date has been a member of theRoman Catholic Church. The current ambassador wasBrian Burch, who presented his credentials toPope Leo XIV on September 13, 2025.
The United States haddiplomatic relations with thePapal States from 1797 to 1867. The Papal States ceased to exist in 1870, when its last territory (the city of Rome) was lost to theKingdom of Italy. After that, the international status of the Papacywas controversial until 1929, when the Italian governmentagreed to the establishment ofVatican City as a sovereign city-state.
The United States was slow to establish full diplomatic relations with the re-established Holy See, partly due to the prevalence ofanti-Catholicism in the United States. PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt's Postmaster GeneralJames Farley was the first high-ranking government official to normalize relations with the Holy See in 1933 when the Postmaster General set sail for Europe, along with Soviet Commissar of Foreign AffairsMaxim Litvinoff on the Italian LinerSSConte di Savoia. In Italy Farley had an audience with Pope Pius XI, and dinner withCardinal Pacelli, who was to accede to the papacy in 1939.[2]Myron Charles Taylor, anindustrialist,philanthropist and diplomat (starting withWorld War II), served from December 1939 until 1950 as the personal representative of PresidentsFranklin D. Roosevelt andHarry S. Truman to the Vatican.[3]
On October 20, 1951, Truman nominatedMark W. Clark, aU.S. Armygeneral andWorld War II hero, to be emissary to the Holy See. Clark later withdrew his nomination on January 13, 1952, following protests from U.S. SenatorTom Connally fromTexas andProtestant groups.
Between 1951 and 1970, the United States had no official representative accredited to the Holy See.
In 1970, PresidentRichard Nixon changed this when he appointed—as his personal representative[clarification needed]—Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., a formerU.S. Senator fromMassachusetts, Nixon's 1960 Republican vice presidential running mate and a former U.S. ambassador (to theUnited Nations,South Vietnam, andWest Germany).
In 1978, PresidentJimmy Carter followed with the appointment ofRobert F. Wagner Jr., a formermayor of New York City andU.S. Ambassador to Spain.
| Image | Name and title | Presentation of credentials | Termination of mission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob L. Martin, Chargé d'Affaires | August 19, 1848 | August 26, 1848 | |
 | Lewis Cass Jr., Minister Resident | November 19, 1849 | November 27, 1858 |
.jpg) | John P. Stockton, Minister Resident | November 27, 1858 | May 23, 1861 |
 | Alexander Randall, Minister Resident | June 6, 1862 | August 4, 1862 |
%2c_US_Minister_to_the_Vatican.jpg) | Richard Milford Blatchford, Minister Resident | November 26, 1862 | May 20, 1863 |
 | Rufus King, Minister Resident | January 8, 1864 | August 17, 1867 |
As no diplomatic relations with the Holy See were allowed by US law between 1867-1984, no Ambassadors were appointed during that period. However, some US Presidents appointed personal envoys to negotiate with the Vatican.
The following is a list ofU.S. ambassadors to the Holy See:
| Image | Name | Years served | Pope | U.S. President |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | William Wilson[a] | 1984–1986 | John Paul II | Ronald Reagan |
.jpg) | Frank Shakespeare | 1986–1989 | ||
 | Thomas Patrick Melady | 1989–1993 | George H. W. Bush | |
_(2).jpg) | Raymond Flynn | 1993–1997 | Bill Clinton | |
 | Lindy Boggs | 1997–2001 | ||
.jpg) | James Nicholson | 2001–2005 | George W. Bush | |
 | Francis Rooney | 2005–2008 | Benedict XVI | |
 | Mary Ann Glendon | 2008–2009 | ||
 | Miguel H. Díaz | 2009–2012 | Barack Obama | |
 | Mario Mesquita (Chargé d'Affaires)[4][5] | 2012–2013 | ||
 | Ken Hackett | 2013–2017 | Francis | |
.jpg) | Callista Gingrich | 2017–2021 | Donald Trump | |
 | Patrick Connell (Chargé d'Affaires) | 2021–2022 | Joe Biden | |
 | Joe Donnelly | 2022–2024 | ||
 | Laura Hochla (Chargé d'Affaires) | 2024–2025 | ||
| Donald Trump | ||||
| Leo XIV | ||||
| Brian Burch | 2025-present |
In 2009, the post of ambassador remained vacant for several months because of tensions between the Vatican and theObama Administration over the issues of abortion and same-sex marriage.[6] Three candidates were mentioned, includingCaroline Kennedy andDouglas Kmiec.[6][7][8]
From November 2012 through mid-2013, the seat was also vacant, afterMiguel H. Díaz left the office to teach at theUniversity of Dayton. PresidentBarack Obama nominatedKen Hackett, a longtime president ofCatholic Relief Services, for the position in June 2013.[9] Ken Hackett was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See on August 1, 2013.[10][11]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromU.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets.United States Department of State.