On November 7, news outlets declared Joe Biden winner of the 2020 US presidential election, after the key swing state of Pennsylvania was called for him. Though Donald Trump is yet to concede and the result only became technically official when the Electoral College met on December 14, Joe Biden was set to become the first Catholic president of the United States since John F Kennedy in 1960.
When Biden gave his victory speech on November 7, he sought to underline his religious convictions with references to Scripture. Quoting Ecclesiastes 3:1-3, he said: “To everything there is a season: a time to build, a time to reap, and a time to sow and a time to heal.” He added that now was “the time to heal in America”.
Biden’s relationship with the Church hierarchy has nevertheless been wounded by his pro-abortion voting record and broader policy stances.
Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the US Bishops’ conference, released a statement on November 7 saying that the bishops “congratulate” Biden on becoming “the second United States president to profess the Catholic faith.” But the following week, the archbishop raised concerns about Biden’s record of promoting abortion, saying: “It creates confusion among the faithful about what the Catholic Church actually teaches on these questions.”
On November 12, Pope Francis congratulated Biden on his election success in a telephone call. According to the Biden-Harris transition team, the “president-elect thanked His Holiness for extending blessings and congratulations and noted his appreciation for His Holiness’ leadership in promoting peace, reconciliation, and the common bonds of humanity around the world.”
The press release added that Biden had expressed to the Pope a “desire to work together on the basis of shared belief in the dignity and equality of all humankind on issues such as caring for the marginalised and the poor, addressing the crisis of climate change, and welcoming and integrating immigrants and refugees into our communities”.
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