Callista Gingrich, wife of the former speaker of the US House of Representatives, on Friday became US ambassador to the Vatican, which is at odds with Washington over immigration, climate change and Jerusalem.
Newt Gingrich is expected to continue his role as a political contributor to Fox News from his new base in Rome. Trump’s nomination of Callista Gingrich to the post at the Holy See in May caused some controversy because of her marriage to Gingrich, with whom she became involved when he was still married to his second wife.
Both are Roman Catholic. On Thursday they attended the funeral at the Vatican of Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned as Archbishop of Boston 15 years ago after covering up years of sexual abuse of children by priests.
The pope has implicitly criticised Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris accord on climate change. He said last month that denying climate change or being indifferent to its effects were “perverse attitudes” that blocked research and dialogue aimed at protecting the future of the planet.