The Pope congratulated Joe Biden after taking office as the 46th president of the United States with a message asking him to promote reconciliation and peace in his country and also in the world.
“I ask God, the source of all wisdom and truth, to guide your efforts to promote understanding, reconciliation and peace in the United States and among the nations of the world in order to promote the universal common good,” the Pontiff said in his message, addressed to the White House.
This message is nothing new since, in 2016, Francisco also sent a message to President Donald Trump to convey his best wishes during his term.
In his message to Biden, the Pope hoped that, under his mandate, the people of the United States continue to “put into practice the political, ethical and religious values that have inspired the nation since its founding.”
In addition, he has taken the opportunity to point out the “serious crises” that the world is facing at this time, which in his opinion “require united responses and with a vision of the future.” In this regard, the Pope has assured his prayers so that Biden’s decisions follow the need to build a more just and free society.
“I pray that your decisions are guided by the desire to build a society marked by authentic justice and freedom, by unwavering respect for the rights and dignity of all people, especially the poor, vulnerable and those who have no voice. “said the pontiff.
Biden, who is the second Catholic president of the United States, after John F. Kennedy (1961-1963), attended in March 2013 the mass of the opening of the pontificate of Francis. At that time, he was the vice president of the Obama Administration. In 2015 they met again on the occasion of Francis’ apostolic trip to the United States.
The Pope had already personally called Biden last November to congratulate him on his victory in the United States presidential elections and set a common agenda with priorities such as the climate crisis and the need to provide integration responses to immigrants. His next ‘face to face’ could be framed on the margins of the G20 meeting that will take place in Rome on October 30 and 31.
