ROME — Pope Francis has sent President Joe Biden a message congratulating him on his inauguration and wishing him well in the exercise of his office.
“On the occasion of your inauguration as the forty-sixth President of the United States of America, I extend cordial good wishes and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high office,” the pontiff said in his message.
“Under your leadership, may the American people continue to draw strength from the lofty political, ethical and religious values that have inspired the nation since its founding,” the pope said.
In sharp contrast with a statement from the U.S. bishops calling out Mr. Biden for policies promoting “moral evil,” which the Vatican quashed Wednesday before it could be released, the pope’s message is noteworthy for its diplomacy and absence of any reference to the areas where Biden’s policies collide with Catholic teaching. The pope’s message of congratulation Wednesday was not dissimilar to the message he sent four years ago congratulating President Donald Trump for his inauguration.
“At a time when the grave crises facing our human family call for farsighted and united responses, I pray that your decisions will be guided by a concern for building a society marked by authentic justice and freedom, together with unfailing respect for the rights and dignity of every person, especially the poor, the vulnerable and those who have no voice,” Francis said.
“I likewise ask God, the source of all wisdom and truth, to guide your efforts to foster understanding, reconciliation and peace within the United States and among the nations of the world in order to advance the universal common good,” he states.
“With these sentiments, I willingly invoke upon you and your family and the beloved American people an abundance of blessings,” the pope concludes.
The Vatican’s Secretariat of State earlier Wednesday took the rare step of intervening to halt the publication of a statement from the U.S. bishops congratulating President Biden while also underscoring the perceived moral problems with his policies.
The January 20 statement, signed by the President of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference (USCCB) Archbishop José Gomez, said that “our new President has pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance moral evils and threaten human life and dignity, most seriously in the areas of abortion, contraception, marriage, and gender.”
“Of deep concern is the liberty of the Church and the freedom of believers to live according to their consciences,” the statement said.
The statement was reportedly opposed by bishops known to be supportive of the Democratic Party, notably Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago and Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark.