Senate confirms Callista Gingrich as ambassador to the Holy See

On Monday, the Senate voted 70-23 to confirm Callista Gingrich, the third wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, as the US ambassador to the Vatican. Callista’s nomination in May caused some controversy because of her six-year affair with Newt while he was still married to his second wife. Callista is also the president of Gingrich Productions, where she produced documentary films on Pope John Paul II and other historical figures. Previously, she worked as a House Republican aide until 1995, when she became a clerk in the House Committee on Agriculture. During her confirmation hearing in July, Gingrich, 51, said that she would focus on issues of shared interest between the US and the Vatican, specifically combatting human trafficking, condemning terrorism, and fighting diseases such as Ebola and HIV/AIDS.