Pope Leo XIV welcomed Brian Burch as the new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See Sept. 13, accepting his letters of credential and a chocolate cake topped with a metallic red sign saying, "Happy Birthday Pope Leo XIV." Burch's audience with the pope had its very formal moments, too, as the 50-year-old ambassador, wearing a black tailcoat, presented Pope Leo with a letter from President Donald Trump introducing Burch as the 13th U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. Pope Leo and Burch then met privately in the library of the Apostolic Palace. Burch also introduced Pope Leo to his wife, Sara, and their nine children, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. Burch served as president of CatholicVote, a right-leaning political advocacy organization, from 2008 until his nomination as ambassador.