Pope Francis congratulates Joe Biden on election
Pope Francis is pictured at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, Rome on Oct. 20, 2020 (Photo by Grzegorz Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
It’s not exactly divine intervention, but even the pope considers the U.S. presidential race over.
President-elect Joe Biden, a lifelong Roman Catholic, spoke to Pope Francis on Thursday, despite President Donald Trump refusing to concede. President Trump claims — without evidence — that the election was stolen from him through massive but unspecified acts of fraud.
Biden’s transition team said in a statement that the president-elect thanked Francis for “extending blessings and congratulations and noted his appreciation.” He also saluted the pontiff’s “leadership in promoting peace, reconciliation, and the common bonds of humanity around the world.”
Biden said he hopes to work with Francis on issues such as climate change, poverty and immigration.
News of the call came even as some Catholic bishops in the U.S. decline to acknowledge Biden’s victory and argue that the faithful should not back him because of his support for abortion rights.
President-elect Joe Biden addresses the media about the Trump Administration’s lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act on Nov. 10, 2020 at the Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
On Tuesday, for example, Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, tweeted that Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris support “the slaughter of innocents” at any point during pregnancy.
Biden has said he accepts church doctrine about abortion on a personal level, but does not want to impose that belief on everyone.
Biden has had several phone calls this week with foreign leaders, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. They have congratulated him on winning and consider the election settled.
Having the pope on board, too, likely has special significance for Biden.
U.S. President Donald Trump (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
He is just the second Catholic to be elected president in U.S. history, and the first since John F. Kennedy. Biden speaks frequently and openly about the importance of faith in his life and attends Mass near his home in Wilmington, Delaware, nearly every week.
No matter their faith, American politicians are often eager to meet with the pope when traveling near Rome, though Francis declined to meet with President Trump’s secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, in September, citing rules against such sit-downs during election periods. Francis last visited the U.S. in 2015.
Known for advocating for openness on issues like gay rights, the environment and religious tolerance, Francis has been embraced by some liberals as furthering their causes.
St. Peter's Square with obelisk in Rome is part of the territory of the Vatican City. (Photo by Annette Riedl/picture alliance via Getty Images)
In its statement, the Biden transition team said the president-elect told the pontiff he would like to work together to further “a shared belief in the dignity and equality of all humankind on issues such as caring for the marginalized and the poor, addressing the crisis of climate change, and welcoming and integrating immigrants.”
The Vatican issued no statement confirming the call.
The U.S. ambassador to the Holy See is Callista Gingrich, whose husband, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, has been among the vocal supporters of President Trump as he refuses to acknowledge Biden’s victory.
In the election, 50% of Catholic voters backed President Trump and 49% favored Biden, according to VoteCast, a survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.
Featured
Wisconsin elections head says still no evidence of fraud
There remained no evidence of any wrongdoing, fraud or irregularity in Wisconsin's presidential election.