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Raymond Leo Burke (born June 30, 1948) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. A bishop, cardinal and the patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, he led the Archdiocese of St. Louis from 2004 to 2008 and the Diocese of La Crosse from 1995 to 2004. Additionally, from June 2008 until November 2014, he was the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, where he now serves as a rank-and-file member.A canon lawyer,[1], Burke is often perceived as a voice of traditionalism[2][3] among prelates of the Catholic Church. He established a reputation as a conservative leader while serving in La Crosse and St. Louis. Burke is a major proponent of the Tridentine Mass, having frequently offered it and conferred ordinations on traditionalist priests. He has criticized what he sees as deficiencies in the post-1969 Mass of Paul VI.[4] He is frequently seen as the de facto leader of the Church’s conservative wing.[5][6]Burke has publicly clashed with Pope Francis, vigorously opposing attempts by other bishops to relax Church attitudes towards gay people and those Catholics who have divorced and remarried outside the Church. He has expressed skepticism and criticism towards attempts by Pope Francis and other bishops to do so. Burke once mentioned the possible need to “formally correct” the Pope in relation to Amoris laetitia, although he has also expressed his loyalty towards him.[7][8] While Burke has denied allegations of disloyalty to Pope Francis, a number of his statements have been interpreted as criticisms of the Pope, leading to a backlash from some Catholics towards Burke.[9][10] On September 26, 2015, the Vatican announced that Burke had been reappointed to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, from which he had been removed in December 2013, but not to his more influential positions on the Congregation for Bishops and the Apostolic Signatura. In 2016, he was not reappointed as a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship.[11] He has been a consistently strong supporter of President Donald Trump and the United States Republican Party. He has advocated denying communion to Trump’s opponent, Joseph Biden and opined that Catholics may not vote for Biden due to his stance on abortion rights. [12][13][14][15]On February 2, 2017, Burke was again sidelined when Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu as his special delegate to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, with exclusive responsibility for the duties which would normally be exercised by Burke as its patron.[16] On February 21, Albrecht von Boeselager, the order’s grand chancellor, announced that this meant Burke was “de facto suspended” from the patronage.[17] He was reappointed by Pope Francais
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