Former Sen. Donnelly confirmed as Vatican ambassador

Former Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) was confirmed Thursday as U.S. ambassador to The Vatican.

President Biden nominated Donnelly for the position in October, and he was confirmed in the Senate in a voice vote. 

Donnelly served as one of Indiana’s senators from 2013 to 2019, before losing his seat to current Sen. Mike Braun (R). Before the Senate, Donnelly served in the House for three terms.

He is a devout Catholic, with both bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Notre Dame. He taught classes as a professor at Notre Dame from 2019 to 2021.

“Joe is a person of deep Catholic faith and commitment to public service, and I am confident that he will serve in this important new role with vision and integrity,” Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins said in response to his confirmation.

Jenkins added that “it comes as no surprise that there was broad bipartisan support for his confirmation, as he has proven throughout his career that he is committed to building relationships and working across divisions.”

Donnelly will follow in the steps of former Ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich, who served under the Trump administration and is married to former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.).