Pope Francis called President-elect Joe Biden to congratulate him on winning last week’s election against President Trump.
“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,” Biden’s transition team said of the Thursday morning call.
Biden, the country’s second Catholic president-elect, told the pope he looked forward to working with the pontiff on issues, such as “addressing the crisis of climate change” and “welcoming and integrating immigrants and refugees into our communities,” according to a read-out provided by his staff.
Biden quoted Pope Francis during the final week of the 2020 White House race in a Warm Springs, Georgia, speech. During the address on bridging political divides, Biden quoted the pope from an October encyclical letter about politics being “more noble than posturing, marketing, and media spin.”
Biden regularly attends St. Joseph on the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington, Delaware, but Trump has alleged the two-term vice president’s faith is a political act.
Trump has yet to concede to Biden amid multiple lawsuits challenging last week’s election results. A Trump appointee at the General Services Administration has refused to sign paperwork facilitating the transition process, preventing Biden from receiving highly classified intelligence briefings.
