Pope Francis speaks with President-elect Joe Biden

Mr and Mrs Biden meeting with Pope John Paul II April 1980 - wiki image

Source: Office of Joe Biden/ICN

Pope Francis telephoned President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday morning. A statement from Biden's office said: 'President-elect Joe Biden spoke this morning with His Holiness Pope Francis. 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 President-elect expressed his desire to work together on the basis of 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 and refugees into our communities.'

When he is inaugurated, Mr Biden will be the second Catholic president of the United States. John F Kennedy was elected 60 years ago, on November 8, 1960.

Joe Biden first met Pope Francis in 2013 when he was vice president, serving with President Barack Obama and attended the Papal Installation. In 2015, Biden and Obama welcomed Pope Francis to Washington, where he addressed a joint meeting of Congress on 24 September. In April 2016, Biden met Pope Francis when they both spoke at a conference on adult stem-cell research at the Vatican.

Mr Biden also had a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in June 2011.

In 1980, the then Senator Joe Biden and his wife Jill met St Pope John Paul II during an Audience at the Vatican.