Pope Francis spoke with Joe Biden by phone Thursday to offer “blessings and congratulations”
Washington:
Pope Francis spoke to Joe Biden by telephone on Thursday to offer “blessings and congratulations” to the US president-elect on his victory, the Democratic transition team said in a statement.
Former Vice President Biden, 77, is just the second Catholic elected to the U.S. presidency, after John F. Kennedy in 1960.
“The elected president thanked His Holiness for his blessings and congratulations and noted his appreciation for His Holiness’s leadership in promoting peace, reconciliation and the common bonds of humanity in the world,” according to one reading of the appeal made by Biden’s office.
Biden expressed his desire to work together on the basis of a shared belief in the dignity and equality of all humanity on issues such as caring for the marginalized and the poor, addressing the crisis of change. climate and the reception and integration of immigrants and refugees in our communities. “
During a bitter 2020 campaign against President Donald Trump, Biden cited Pope John Paul II, frequently invoked his Irish Catholic roots, and pledged to “restore America’s soul” after four years of acrimony.
He also regularly wore a rosary that belonged to his late son Beau Biden.
Pope Francis himself has had strained relations with Trump. In early 2019, he called Trump’s proposed US-Mexico border wall “madness”.
Back when Trump was seeking a Republican nomination, in February 2016, the Pope made waves when he said during a visit to Mexico that someone who thinks of building walls rather than bridges “doesn’t is not a Christian “.
Trump hit back in a scathing statement at the time, saying: “For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is shameful.”
In 2015, the Pope met then-Vice President Biden in Washington when Francis delivered a speech in the U.S. Capitol at a joint congressional meeting.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
