Michael Francis Burbidge (born June 16, 1957) is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Arlington since 2016.

[6][7] After the tornado outbreak of April 2011, which killed 24 people in North Carolina and nearby states, Burbidge urged Catholics to include the victims and survivors in their Holy Week prayers.

[9] On November 29, 2016, Burbidge celebrated his last public Mass as bishop of Raleigh at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Cary, North Carolina.

[10] In March 2007, a group of protesters, including some alleged victims of clerical sexual abuse, stood outside the diocesan offices, claiming that Burbidge refused to meet with them.

Diocesan spokesman Frank Morock denied those claims, stating that the diocese "has always been very open to any victim who has stepped forward.

"[11] In 2009, a 16 year-old boy reported to the diocese that he had been sexually abused by Reverend Edgar Sepulveda, a priest at the Santa Teresa del Niño Jesús Mission in Beulaville, North Carolina.

Burbidge put Sepulveda on administrative leave, prohibiting him from visiting any parish or Catholic school, and removed him from residence on church grounds.

Burbidge released a statement referring to Aitcheson's past as "sad and deeply troubling" while hoping that his conversion of heart would inspire others.

[28] In February 2019, Burbidge and Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond released a list of clergy who had been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors in the two dioceses between 1974 and 2019.

[33] At the November 2017 plenary assembly of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Burbidge was elected as chair of the Communications Committee.

The article cited his banning of Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, from receiving communion in the Diocese of Arlington for her defense of abortion rights for women.

In May 2016, Burbidge criticized the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, passed by the North Carolina General Assembly.

The act requires individuals to only use restrooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates and was seen as discriminatory against members of the LGBTQ community.

Burbidge proposed that "...another remedy to the unfortunate situation created by the Charlotte Ordinance and HB2 should be considered..."[50] and hoped that any legislative solution would "...defend human dignity; avoid any form of bigotry; respect religious liberty and the convictions of religious institutions; work for the common good; and be discussed in a peaceful and respectful manner.

"[51]In August 2021, Burbidge released a pastoral letter, Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology, in which he explained the church's positions on transgender people.

It was a movement started by religious progressives encouraging civil disobedience and arguing for reforms to North Carolina laws regarding the environment, racial justice, gender equality, social programs, and education.

[54][55][56] Following the Unite the Right rally that took place August 11 and 12, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia to protest the removal of the Robert E. Lee Monument, Burbidge called the ensuring violence "saddening and disheartening."